


Renegades One-Shots

by insomniasketch



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Gen, and there are deaths in chapter 30, and twenty-fifth, i promise they get better as they go on, there are only deaths in the second; eighth; and twentieth chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2019-10-30 12:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 34,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17828453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insomniasketch/pseuds/insomniasketch
Summary: Some Renegades one-shots! You can send me requests in the form of an ask on my Tumblr.





	1. Nodrian - Caught

Adrian had invited her over to his house to “hang out.” She almost declined his offer, but Honey had suggested that Nova could use this to her advantage. And she would be lying if she said she didn't want to spend more time with him. Honey had been so proud, feeling as though her lessons on seduction had finally taken some effect on Nova.

When Nova got there, Hugh and Simon hadn't been home, but Adrian said their shifts were almost over and they'd be home soon. He led her down to his art studio, and she was a bit surprised to find out that nothing had changed since the last time she had been there. Then she asked him if she could see some of his drawings. He had been a bit reluctant, but he had gotten up from their spot on the floor and grabbed one of his sketchbooks. Once he settled back down, he placed it between them, slowly flipping through. Nova scooted closer to him, thinking back to Honey’s lessons. She even dared to lean her head on his shoulder. As Adrian flipped through the sketches, they varied from building to animals to people. There were even a few of her and their fellow Renegades. But her favorite was one of his mom.

They had spent a good 20 minutes looking through his sketches when Nova leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. It had caught Adrian off guard, then he leaned in, kissing her on the lips. And that was how they ended up making out on the floor in the middle of his art studio. The kiss started off slowly as if they had all the time in the world. Then it escalated. Nova felt as if she couldn’t get close enough to him—and she had a feeling he felt the same. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and her arms were around his neck. She wasn’t sure how, but she had ended up laying on her back and Adrian ended up practically on top of her. At some point, one of his hands ended up tangled in her hair.

Neither of them had heard Hugh and Simon announce that they were home. And they definitely didn’t hear Simon trudging down the stairs to check on them. But they did hear him scream. Nova and Adrian had jumped apart and she felt herself blushing. Hugh—having heard Simon’s scream—rushed downstairs to make sure everything was okay. While he didn’t see the teenagers in the act, it didn’t take much to guess what had been happening from their ragged breathing, their disheveled appearances, and Simon’s shocked expression.

“I’m so sorry,” Simon stuttered as he quickly backed out of the room, Hugh following close behind.

Nova and Adrian shared an embarrassed look as they quickly set to straightening their clothes, and in Nova’s case, making her hair look a little less messy. She couldn’t help but to laugh. Not at the situation itself, just at how ridiculous it all was. How did she, Nova Artino, a girl who resented physical contact, get caught making out with her kind-of-boyfriend by his one of his dads?

When Nova decided to leave for the night, neither Hugh nor Simon were insight. Which was probably a good thing for she wasn’t sure if she could handle the embarrassment again.


	2. The Battle of Gatlon

**_Anon asked: Could you write a Renegades fic where Nova gets revealed as Nightmare and dies shortly after doing something heroic? It's just something I've been thinking about._ **

Nova's eyes searched the battlefield—a battlefield that had seen too much blood in the past hour—for Adrian, or rather the Sentinel. She was in her Nightmare costume. It was torn and tattered, and she felt the same. She had been fighting alongside the Renegades, though most of them were gone now. Oscar. Ruby. Danna. And countless others. Yet, none of them had figured out that she, Nightmare, was, in fact, Nova McLain. Or maybe they had, but they were too preoccupied with all that was happening around them to care. Either way, she had to find Adrian and tell him. She couldn't keep this secret anymore.

 

Adrian was overcome with grief. So many lives had been lost. His friends. His fellow Renegades. Yet, he had somehow survived—and so had Nightmare. She had appeared out of nowhere, but it quickly became apparent she was on their side. There had been something familiar about the way she acted, the way she fought. But he was too distraught to place a finger on it. He needed to find her and learn her true identity.

 

She spotted Adrian kneeling on the ground, his head in his hands. He was still wearing the Sentinel armor, but the helmet was missing. She slowly made her way towards him, as if she were approaching a wild animal. He hadn't heard her come up behind him, or maybe he had and was just ignoring her. Removing her mask, she worked up the courage to whisper one single word, “Adrian?”

 

It had been so faint, he barely heard it. He turned around slowly, almost scared to see who had spoken. He was surprised to see Nova’s blue eyes staring back at him. But one thing was off, she was in Nightmare's clothing. Standing up, he turned to face her. “Nova?”

 

All she could do was nod. This wasn't how she wanted to tell him. Taking in a deep breath, she confessed a secret she'd long held: “I-I'm Nightmare.” It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but that feeling changed when she saw his expression. It had become dark, forlorn.

 

She was Nightmare. Nova McLain. The girl he was madly in love with. Was Nightmare. This had to be some cruel trick. He had just lost some of his closest friends and now his girlfriend had just admitted to being an Anarchist. Could life really be this unfair? Tears began streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't take this. It was too much. He pulled her into a crushing embrace, causing her to stumble a little bit. Then her thin arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

 

They stood there on the bloody battlefield, crying and holding each other. Crying for their friends. Crying for all the lives that had been lost. Crying for the future. Crying just for the sake of crying. 

Adrian hadn’t heard the gun go off, but she had. Moving as fast as she could, she shoved Adrian to the ground. But she hadn’t moved fast enough. The bullet hit her in the chest.

 

He crouched over Nova’s body, cradling her head in his lap and gripping one of her hands. Her breathing had become ragged and her eyes were closed. She was on the brink of death. His hands were sticky from futile attempts at staunching the bleeding. 

His silent tears turned into sobs. First Danna, then Ruby and Oscar, now Nova. He hadn’t heard the second gunshot. It hit him in the head and his world went black. His body fell next to hers, still holding onto one of her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't this perfect for Valentine's Day?


	3. Artino

**_Renegadesandkotlc asked: Could you do one where Adrian is researching Nightmare because he know(s) she is (an) Artino (and) he stumbles on the file, and because his dads are on the council he know(s) the password and figures everything out, you can change it as much as you want to._ **

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed _Artino_ into the database. Scrolling through the results, he noticed one stuck out from the others. It wasn’t about Ace Anarchy, it was about his brother. Curious, Adrian clicked on the article. A report summary written by his father popped up. It was about a murder that had occurred at Kingsborough Apartment ten years ago.

As he scanned the article one name nagged at him. Evie. Why was it so familiar? Then it hit him. That was the name of Nova’s baby sister. The one who had been murdered all those years ago. He shrugged it off, it was probably just a coincidence. As he read on, he noticed even more similarities between this murder and what Nova had shared with him. A hitman had killed her parents and her baby sister, Evie, but her uncle had saved her and killed the intruder. Tala and David Artino, plus their youngest daughter, Evie, had been shot by a man with suspected gang affiliation, and the youngest daughter, who was six years old at the time—the same age as Nova when her family was killed—had been missing ever since. And they had found prints from Ace Anarchy on the gun, which would have been the missing girl’s uncle. Similarities aside, it was rather obvious that the missing girl was Nightmare. He clicked on the link to view the full report—hoping to find a name for the girl—only to be denied access. Rolling his eyes, he typed in the passcode: _Everwood_. It was a combination of both his fathers’ names and an inside joke among the Council. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to know it, but it was a perk of being a son of council members.

Along with the report came a file from the missing persons unit regarding the girl. Scanning the file, his attention caught on the photo of a little girl with messy black hair. In the photo, she looked to be about five years old, and she was grinning at the camera, her blue eyes shining. Glancing at her name, he gasped. Nova Artino. Could it be? No. Nova’s last name was McLain, not Artino.

Adrian studied the picture, comparing it to Nova McLain. He opened another tab and pulled up her Renegades profile so he could better compare them. They both had the same blue eyes and black hair. Their faces were almost identical. The girls looked like sisters. But they weren’t. There was no way they could be related. Then it hit him. What if they were the same person? It would kind of make sense. Kind of. They did have the same first name, and they both had younger sisters named Evie, both of their families were murdered ten years ago, and they were both six years old at the time. Their birthdays were even on the same date. Even their middle names were the same. There was no way this could be just a coincidence. But if Nova Artino is Nightmare, and she and Nova McLain are the same person, then that would mean Nova McLain is Nightmare.

He buried his face in his hands, crying. Nova McLain—no, Artino—was Nightmare. All feelings of love he ever felt for her turned into rage.

“Adrian?”

He looked up and locked eyes with the girl who had started all this. “What are you doing here, Nova?” he asked, trying to be nonchalant.

“I just came to catalog some things in the archive. What are you doing here— Oh.” she stopped talking as she caught sight of his computer screen.

“Nova, I know you’re Nightmare.”

“This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

“How did you want me to find out, Nova _Artino_?” He stood up, taking a step towards her.

She took a step back. “I planned on telling you when the time was right. When I knew it wouldn’t matter anymore.”

“That time would have never come.” He took another step towards her, staring into her eyes. “I love you, but we can never be together. Not after this.”

She nodded, “I love you, too. But I accepted that fact a while ago.” Then she reached forward, grabbing his hand. He went to pull his hand away, but it was too late, she had already used her power on him. He fell to the floor in a dreamless sleep.


	4. Artino (continued)

Nova crouched in front of Adrian's sleeping form, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I'm sorry it had to be this way,” she whispered. “Goodbye, Adrian Everhart.” She stood up and sprinted towards the door—hoping to leave before running into any more Renegades.

She ran all the way back to her house, not bothering to stop once. When she reached the rowhouse, she was a bit out of breath but wasted no time in explaining to Anarchists what had happened.

“We probably have another hour before he wakes up, but we still need to move fast,” Nova said, taking off her communication band and leaving it on the counter. Honey and Leroy nodded, then Honey dashed out the backdoor to get her bees and Leroy went upstairs to collect his things. Phobia lingered downstairs, making Nova feel uncomfortable.

With a sigh, she trudged upstairs and began gathering her things, throwing clothes and weapons into a pile on her mattress. She glanced around the room, scanning it to make sure she didn’t miss anything, then her eyes landed on the vanity, catching sight of the butterfly. It was just another reminder she needed to move fast.

The Anarchists had no idea where they could go, where they could be safe, but they did know they had to get far away from the little rowhouse on East Ninety Fourth and Wallowridge that had been home to them for only a few months.

 

When Adrian awoke about an hour and a half later, he was in the medical wing surrounded by healers—and his dads.

“What,” Adrian began, “what happened?”

“One of the guards found you passed out at your desk,” Hugh said. “They tried to wake you, but when you didn’t come to, they called the healers. The healers have been trying to wake you for the past hour or so.” Adrian nodded as the memories of what he discovered started coming back to him.

“Dad, Pops, can I talk to you two real quick? Like alone?” Simon looked at him suspiciously as Hugh gestured for the healers to leave the room. Once they were alone, Adrian spoke up, “I know who Nightmare is.” Hugh and Simon shared a look, then motioned for Adrian to continue. “Nightmare was a lot closer to us than we thought.” He paused, tears forming in his eyes. “Nova’s Nightmare. Nova McLain, except her last name isn’t McLain, it’s Artino.”

Anger flared in Hugh’s eyes, “How did she get away with it for so long?” He buried his face in his hands, mumbling, “How could we be so stupid?

Adrian’s tears began to fall faster as explained all that he had discovered. Simon pulled him into a hug, whispering, “I had never imagined it would have been her. I’m sorry, Adrian.”

“Dad, what are we going to do?” Adrian pulled away from Simon, looking at Hugh.

“I’m going to send a team of Renegades to her house to search it for evidence and to arrest her—assuming she’s there. But meanwhile, I suggest you call Ruby and Oscar and tell them to come here as soon as possible.”

Adrian nodded and lifted his wrist band to his mouth, “Something’s come up with Nightmare and I need you two at HQ immediately.”

Hugh and Simon left to go deal with finding Nova, leaving Adrian alone with his thoughts.

 

“What happened?” Ruby asked, her voice laced with concern. Oscar was standing next to her, holding her hand. She glanced around the room, “Wait, where’s Nova?”

Adrian flinched at the mention of her name and ignored the second question, “I found out who Nightmare is.” He paused. “But brace yourselves, I don’t think any of us could have predicted this.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby said, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Nova...Nova’s Nightmare.”

Ruby gasped. “No, you must be mistaken. There’s no way she could Nightmare!” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Adrian explained everything he had found, and when he was done, Ruby pulled him and Oscar into a hug.

“Adrian, I’m so sorry. I know how you felt about her,” Oscar said. The three friends stood there huddled together, thinking about how one of their close friends had been revealed as their worst nightmares.

 

The trial of Nova Artino went on for far longer than expected. But in the end, she was convicted as guilty on multiple charges, and the Council decided for her to be neutralized. Even though she had been neutralized, it had been deemed too dangerous for her to be released because of her many skills.

It had been very emotional for Sketch’s team—especially Adrian. Somewhere in between the time of Nightmare’s true identity being discovered and the trial, Danna had returned and told her side of the story. How she had followed Nova, and how she had been trapped in a jar. It only deepened Adrian’s resentment towards Nova.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this chapter.


	5. Masks

_**renegadesandkotlc asked: An identity reveal, or maybe little nova stories for fanfics** _

She stared at the Sentinel, listing her head. “Who are you?” she asked, leaning towards the Sentinel.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he snarled, stepping towards her.

Nova faked a laugh and narrowed her eyes behind the mask, “You just think you're so clever, don't you?”

He didn't respond. Instead, he pushed her against the wall, pinning her wrists above her head. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Who are you, Nightmare?”

She ignored him, trying to squirm out of his grip.

“There's nothing stopping me from removing your mask.”

“Then why don't you?”

He seemed a bit taken aback by her forwardness, then he reached forward with his free hand and removed her mask, promptly dropping it. “N-nova?”

She paused, “How do you know my name?”

He took a step back, dropping her wrists, and removed his visor—revealing the shocked face of Adrian Everhart.

No. He couldn't be the Sentinel. There was no way. She was supposed to be the only one with a secret identity in this relationship.

“When did you plan on telling me?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Never.” She took a step towards him, glaring. “When did you plan on telling me?”

“Soon,” he said, returning her glare. “When the time was right.”

“The time would never have been right.”

“Why do you hate the Sentinel so much?” he asked. “What did he ever do to you?”

“I don’t know, why do you hate Nightmare so much? What did she ever do to you?”

He ignored her, pulling her into a kiss. She gasped against his lips before kissing him back, her arms winding themselves around his neck. His hands found their way to her waist and pulled her closer.

She deepened the kiss, filling it with every thought and emotion. All the hatred she held for the Sentinel. All the love she held for Adrian.

 

He pulled her closer, not wanting to let go. He knew he should hate her. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. After all, she was still Nova McLain. The girl who’s bracelet he fixed at the parade. The girl who comforted him. The girl who lied to him. The girl who betrayed him— He cast those thoughts aside. He wouldn’t think about that now.

She broke the kiss and pulled away from him, placing a hand against his chest. “I’m sorry, Adrian, but we can’t be together. It would never work.”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “What if the Council doesn’t find out that your Nightmare just yet? This could be our little secret.” His eyes searched hers, hopeful.

Her eyes lit up. “You would do that?”

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, it seems that I have written another reveal *pretends to be shocked*. So like I realize I could have written a little Nova story, but I just couldn't think of anything. I would like to apologize for this for I have no idea what it is.


	6. I Could Have Lost You

Adrian’s arms tightened around her, holding her close. Nova buried her face into his shirt, fighting back the tears. To think she had become so close to losing him. “How are you feeling?” she mumbled, her voice muffled.

“Fine,” he whispered. “I’m fine.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being held in his arms. She pulled away enough so she could see his face, then she leaned up and kissed him. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer—if such a thing were possible. The kiss was gentle—almost timid, as if she were afraid of hurting him...again.

The tears came before she could stop them. She tried to block all thoughts of how she, in disguise as Nightmare, had shot at the Sentinel before she realized who he truly was. Once she realized her mistake, she rushed over to him and tried to staunch the bleeding. When her attempts proved futile, she called for backup then fled the scene. It had been hard for her to leave him there, but it would have been worse if she was revealed as Nightmare. If he knew anything about her secret identity, he didn’t let on. She had to tell him or the guilt would get to her.

She broke the kiss and buried her head in his shoulder, letting the tears flow freely. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

He placed a light kiss against her hair. “Don’t dwell on it, Nova. I’m fine now.”

She looked up at him, sniffling. “I’m so sorry, Adrian.” She reached up, cupping his cheek. “I hadn’t meant to hurt you.”

“What do you mean?”

Nova moved away from him, looking down. “I wouldn’t have shot him if I’d known it was you.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “But Nightmare shot me, none of this is your fault.”

“It’s all my fault! Don’t you understand?” She met his eyes, then she looked back down at the floor. She took in a deep breath and met his gaze once more. “I’m Nightmare.”

He stared at her in shock then pulled her into a crushing hug. It was unexpected but she allowed herself to enjoy this moment, knowing it’d probably be the last.


	7. Betrayal

**_Anon asked: Could you write a fic where Adrian finds out Nova is Nightmare and destroys the jungle he created in his art studio because of her connection to it?_ **

She was Nightmare. Could it really be true? After all they had been through. All that they had done together.

Had that all been false as well? Had she really liked him? Or had that been another lie?

No.

No.

No.

He couldn't take this right now. It was too much to deal with. Burying his face in his pillow, he started crying. Crying for what could have been.

He had loved her. _Loved her._

But he could never love an Anarchist.

Could he?

No...maybe?

Groaning, he sat up and glanced around his room. He needed a distraction. He got up and selected a movie from his collection, but as he went to put it on, he was reminded of the time they had watched a movie together. How they had kissed, then how he had fallen asleep _during_ the kiss.

A thought struck him. What if he hadn't fallen asleep, what if she had put him to sleep? 

He needed to stop thinking about her. He needed to do something that would clear his head of her.

 

As he opened the door to his art studio, he was greeted by the lush plants. With the plants came back the memories of her. Of the hours he had spent painting this to make her happy, to bring her dream to life. Of how she had let him see her more vulnerable side, how she had slept—for the first time in years—in his arms.

That was an image he would never forget. She had looked so peaceful and calm while she slept, very unlike her usual alert self. It was in that moment that Adrian had become 100 percent sure that he had feelings for her. That maybe, just maybe, he was even in love with her.

Once he discovered she was Nightmare, he tried to will it all away. To replace all his love with anger and resentment. But he couldn’t. Because under the mask was just a girl who had been hurt and wanted revenge.

In truth, Adrian almost felt bad for her. It wasn’t her fault she was this way. It was the way she was raised. Raised by Anarchists and taught to hate the Renegades. But there are just some things that aren’t forgivable, things he couldn’t look past.

He took a few tentative steps into the room, making it to the statue before he sunk down to his knees, sobbing. He wanted desperately to clear his mind of all thoughts of this girl. The girl who changed his life. In some ways for the better, others for the worst.

When he found out her true identity, he vowed to never say her name again. But in this moment of pain, he allowed himself to say it.

“Nova,” he whispered to himself, over and over again, as if saying it would fix everything.


	8. Lady Indomitable

**_Anon asked: Could you write a fanfic about Lady Indomitable? My girl Georgia Rawles doesn't get enough appreciation in the fandom_ **

“You’re afraid,” a voice hissed behind her. Georgia slowly turned around, meeting the gaze of Phobia—an Anarchist. She stilled, moving into a defensive position. Fear hammered in her chest, but she told herself to be brave. She was Lady Indomitable, a Renegade. And she could handle this. “You’re afraid of many things, but there is one that you fear above all.”

Phobia and the rooftop disappeared, replaced by one of her son, Adrian. It showed him drawing something, but she couldn’t see what it was because his hand was blocking it. As he reached for a different pencil, she was able to see it. The drawing was a monster that looked startlingly like Phobia.

That image faded out and was replaced various snapshots of different stages of his life, all leading up to what she assumed were his late teenage years. In the last image, it showed him laying on the ground, dying. He was wearing some sort of armor, but Georgia barely noticed. Her attention was on her son, her _dying_ son.

“It’s not real,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes in hopes that the image would disappear. But it didn't work. It was all she could see.

She took a step back, trying to escape the horrible image. She stopped just short of the ledge, feeling paralyzed.

“It's not real,” she repeated, trying to calm herself. “Adrian's at home, he's safe.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately wanting for the image to vanish. But it didn't. She felt the tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision. The image blurred, but it would be forever ingrained in her mind. She closed her eyes again, overwhelmed.

She didn't see Phobia step toward her, allowing to push her off the roof. Hugh had warned her about this. When she heard that there was gang activity near David Artino's apartment, she left to see if they needed help. Hugh had told her that it was probably a trap, something set up by Ace Anarchy, David's brother. But she couldn't let an innocent family die, she'd never forgive herself when there was a possibility that she could have saved them. So she went anyway, though it was one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

As Georgia Rawles, the mighty Lady Indomitable, fell to her death—still paralyzed—she had only one thing on her mind, her son Adrian, who she held very close to her heart. She thought of all the moments in his life that'd she'd miss. All the memories that she wouldn't be a part of.

“Adrian,” she attempted to yell, her voice coming out little more than a breath. She hit the ground, the impact killing her instantly. Her world turned black and the last thing she saw was Adrian's sweet face.


	9. Night Terrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set about four-ish years in the future.

_The gunshots were all Nova could hear. Images of her parents’ dead bodies flashed across her vision. Evie’s cries joined the gunshots, getting louder and louder._

She bolted upright in bed, screaming as she covered her ears—hoping it would stop the loud bangs. Though it was no use, the gunshots stopped once she opened her eyes.

A light flickered on and strong arms were around her, pulling her close. Her screams faded out and she rested her head against Adrian's bare chest. She dared not close her eyes for fear the gunshots would return. It had been a long time since she’d heard them, about two years—they had stopped when she and Adrian moved in together.

“Nova,” he began, stroking her hair, “are you okay?”

She opened her mouth to speak but was overcome with a rush of tears. So she simply nodded her head.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She waited until her breathing slowed before she began. He waited patiently as she stuttered out the details from her nightmare. Once she was done, he kissed her temple, whispering to her that it'd be alright.

_It would be alright._

“I'm sorry I woke you up. I'll be fine if you want to go back to sleep,” she said softly, pulling away a little bit so she could see his face.

Adrian cupped her cheek, wiping a few of her tears away with the pad of his thumb. “There's nothing I'd rather do than stay up with you.” She could hear the sincerity in his tone, she knew he truly meant it.

“Adrian, you need your sleep. I promise I'll be fine.”

“And you need your sleep as well.” He dropped his hand, resting it on her shoulder, the other on her waist.

“I don't need sleep, but you do.” Yawning, she buried her head in his shoulder. Maybe...maybe she did need sleep after all.

Adrian took this as a cue to turn off the light. Darkness engulfed them as they settled under the covers, arms wrapped tightly around each other. Nova felt safe in his arms—as if no more harm could come to her. Nestling her head into his neck, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep. But this time, it was void of gunshots and nightmares.


	10. Eternity

A loud knock sounded at the door, causing her to jump. She stared at the door, waiting for the Renegades to burst in and announce that she had been unmasked as Nightmare. But the only thing that came was another knock. This time, it was a bit louder, more persistent.

Grudgingly, Nova slid off her chair and went to the door. She stood on her tiptoes, looking out through the peephole to see who was at her doorstep. Adrian Everhart, she should have known. Her heart was racing as she did a quick survey of the kitchen and living room—making sure none of the Anarchists left something of theirs lying around. Once she thought the room was clear, she walked back to the door and opened it.

“Hi,” he said, beaming at her. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, much better.” She mirrored his smile. “I was actually planning on coming to work tomorrow.” She had called in sick for the past few days, telling her team she didn’t want to share her germs. This had been enough to ward them off from checking on her—except Adrian, it seems, damn him and his sweet heart. It hadn’t been a complete lie, she did have a cold. But she mainly took off because she needed some time alone—well, as alone as she could get in a house full of Anarchists.

“I've missed you so much.” His arms wrapped around her, and she giggled— _did she really just giggle?_ —as he lifted her off the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she kissed him. All too soon, he broke the kiss and set her back down.

She moved her hands down to rest on his shoulders. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and invited him inside.

Nova watched anxiously as he glanced around the room, waiting for him to discover something of the Anarchists’, but her worry proved naught.

“Do you want to go sit?” She gestured toward the worn couch, he nodded.

He sat down on the couch, and she laid down, resting her head in his lap and putting her feet up on the armrest. Adrian started playing with her hair, wrapping the short strands around his finger.

“Did you just come to check on me or was there something else?” she asked, folding her hands on her stomach. Butterflies of nervousness tingled in her gut. 

“I just came to check on you,”—he paused, his hand dropping from her hair—“and I missed you.”

She rolled her eyes, relieved. “Adrian, it’s only been four days since I last saw you.”

“I know. But it's felt like an eternity.”

Slowly, she sat up and angled her body towards him. Her gaze fell to his lips before flicking to his eyes. He was staring at her with an intensity she had never seen before.

“Nova,” he whispered, tilting his head. She reached her hand up, pressing her fingers into his cheek, her other hand cupping his neck.

“Adrian,” she whispered back, her voice barely more than a breath. She brought his mouth to hers, kissing him slowly. The kiss escalated fast. He buried a hand in her hair as she deepened the kiss.

They broke apart a few minutes later, both laughing and out of breath. Nova rested her head on his shoulder—now sitting on his lap—and smiled. “I missed you, too.”


	11. T-shirt

**_Anon asked: could you do a post-smut scene for nodrian, please?_ **

**This strayed pretty far from the prompt, but it's fine.**

Sunlight streamed through the window, warming their bare bodies. Adrian rolled onto his side and Nova laid her head on his chest, tracing one of the tattoos on his arm. They were reminders of the past, but they also hinted at hope for the future. Though they’re quite young—Nova 18, almost 19 and Adrian 20—it felt... _right_ , she felt like this could be the rest of her life. Just her and Adrian Everhart, no secret identities between them.

She had revealed herself as Nightmare two years ago, while Max was still in the hospital recovering from the incident after the gala. Adrian, in shock and not thinking straight, admitted to being the Sentinel. After a brief argument, they decided to part ways— though neither really wanted to. Less than two months passed, and Adrian was already back in contact with Nova. They both agreed that if the other was willing to see past secret identities, then they could try to make a relationship work. Soon after, they started dating again and didn’t have any major bumps in the road.

“Adrian,” Nova began softly, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he yawned, closing his eyes and throwing an arm around her.

She sat up and placed a quick peck against his lips. Moving his arm, she climbed out of bed. Her eyes skimmed across her bedroom floor, looking for something to slip on. Their clothes were scattered all over the floor. A shirt here. A bra there. A pair of pants in the corner. Adrian’s shirt was closest to her, so she grabbed it and slipped it on. It reached about mid-thigh on her, almost looking like a nightgown.

She quietly closed her bedroom door and walked down the small hallway towards the kitchen, startled to find her roommate standing at the counter, back to Nova.

“Danna, what are you doing here so early? I thought you were spending this week at Ada’s.” After Nova had revealed herself as Nightmare, Danna had been the first to forgive her. They soon became close friends, sharing everything with each other and keeping what happened in the past. A few months later, they decided to rent an apartment together—Nova was sick of the rowhouse, a constant reminder of the Anarchists and her past, and Danna was ready to move out of parents’ house, wanting independence. The apartment wasn’t anything special—two bedrooms, one bathroom, small kitchen/living room area—but it was a big upgrade for Nova considering she only had her parents’ rundown apartment, a ruined cathedral, musty tunnels, and a dilapidated rowhouse to compare it to.

“Ada had a family emergency come up and she had to leave town,” Danna answered, turning around to face Nova. Danna and Ada had only been dating for a few months, but, from what Nova could tell, it was already pretty serious. Danna had even talked about moving out of their apartment and moving in with Ada.

Danna’s gaze landed on Nova’s—Adrian's—shirt, and Nova could already feel her cheeks burning. Danna’s lips quirked. “Nice shirt.”

Nova ignored her. “How long have you been home?”

“About an hour.” Nova glanced at the clock, it was almost 10 o’clock. “I tried to call you, and sent a few texts. I just thought maybe you were ignoring me, but…” Danna trailed off, turning back to the counter where she had her mug and a coffee pot turned on.

“Hey Nova—” Adrian called as he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, but his sentence was cut short when he saw Danna. She whipped around and looked like she was about to burst from laughter. Nova glanced his way and barely contained her laughter herself—the expression on his face was priceless. It looked like a mix between shock and what may have been mortification.

Danna turned back to the counter and poured the coffee into her mug. “Go on, pretend like I’m not here.”

Nova hesitated a second before speaking. “What did you need?” She took a step closer to Adrian.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a kiss on top of her head. “Well, I was going to ask you if you knew where my shirt was, but—” Danna snorted and they both shot her a glare, “—but it seems that you’re wearing it.” He pauses, before adding playfully, “I should have known.”

Nova grinned at him. She had gotten into the habit of “borrowing” sweaters and sweatshirts from him, even though they were really big on her and some almost went down to her knees. “Sorry,” she said, her voice not at all sounding apologetic.

“As cute as you look in it, I’m going to need it back soon. Remember, we have to meet my dads for lunch in about an hour and a half.”

Danna groaned, pushing away from the counter. “You two are disgustingly sweet. It’s making me sick.” She trudged down the hallway to her room, not giving the couple another glance.

Nova put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek, “I remember.”


	12. Villains

**_Anon asked: Hey, it's whatifweareallfictional from FanFiction! The idea that I was talking about was just that Nova and Adrien find out about each others secret identities at the same time and then they're both just like "wait, I thought I was the one with a secret identity, not you!" Idk, it sounded interesting in my head. You can do whatever you want with it, I just thought it might be fun._ **

**Monster by Paramore was a huge influence for this, btw.**

Gunshots rang out around her. Some belonged to Anarchists, others to Renegades. But they were all in Nova’s head. Remnants of the battle fought not even an hour ago. She tried to block them out, needing to focus on the Sentinel. He stood on the rooftop opposite her, silhouetted by the setting sun, no doubt surveying the war zone below. She looked down at the field, shocked to see so much damage. The fighting had started early that morning when the Anarchists went to break Ace out of prison. After their plan proved a success, they decided to breech Renegades HQ while they were at it. Nova had been very reluctant to agree to this, but she eventually caved. The attack failed and it didn’t take long for a full-on fight to break out. The Renegades Council members ordered for everyone to stay inside HQ while they dealt with the Anarchists, but Sketch’s team—minus Insomnia—didn’t listen. This only made it harder for Nova to fight them. Then the Sentinel appeared and started fighting alongside the Renegades. Eventually, all the other Renegades joined the fighting. Now, less than an hour after the battle, the ground was saturated with blood and countless were injured or dead.

Nova glanced back at the Sentinel and saw him staring at her. He broke into a sprint and launched himself upwards, landing on the rooftop beside her. She barely had time to register what was happening before he tackled her to the ground. They struggled for a few minutes, fighting for control of the other. He was at least a foot taller than her, but Nova won, pinning his wrists above his head and straddling his waist. He struggled under her grip, but she held strong.

“Who are you?” she asked, leaning closer to him. “A Renegade reject? Or—”

He launched himself upward and knocked her off of him, cutting her off. It was a matter of seconds before he had her body pinned beneath his and was reaching for her mask. He hesitated before removing it. The mask dropped from his hand, clattering to the ground.

“Nova?”

She attempted to sit up though it was no use—she was still trapped under him.

“I trusted you, Nova,” he paused, listing his head. “We all did.”

She ignored him, telling herself his words meant nothing. Acting as if they didn’t hurt, even the tiniest bit. Though she didn't quite know who “we” referred to.

“Since you removed my mask, I think it’s only fair that you take off yours,” she said, her voice low. In the corner of her vision, she could see his fingers twitch. His hand moved towards his face. The visor hissed as it lifted up and she found herself staring at not a stranger, but at Adrian Everhart.

Her boyfriend.

Her _enemy_.

_No, no, no_. He couldn’t be the Sentinel. There was no way sweet, caring Adrian could do that. The Sentinel was reckless and had killed Hawthorne, not to all the other things he had done. Like burning Danna at the parade...no, Adrian could never do that. And besides, she was supposed to be the only one with a secret identity in this relationship. “ _I_ trusted you. You’re the only person that’s shown real concern over me in a long time. The only person who’s shown me real love and compassion.” Her voice cracked on the last word, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I thought you were different. I thought that you weren’t like all the other greedy and power hungry Renegades. But it seems that I was wrong.” Her voice rose, getting louder and louder with every word until she was shouting at him. “I loved—no, _love_ —you, Adrian. And despite what you believe, I’m not the villain. I—”

_Bang_.

She shuddered and shut her eyes, unsure if the gunshots were just in her head. Hoping they were just in her head. The gunshots got louder and her body went numb. Nova opened her eyes slowly and attempted to sit up, but the Sentinel—Adrian—was still on top of her.

His weight slowly shifted off of her and she could feel herself being lifted into his arms. Her hands covered her eyes, trying to block out the sound. She was shaking and he pulled her closer, whispering soothing words. The gunshots quieted, and she kept fading in and out of consciousness.

Adrian’s grip tightened around her as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, then across the battlefield, calling for his dads. She was unharmed physically but mentally was a different story.

Voices were all around her, though she couldn’t decipher who they belonged to. Except for Adrian’s—his deep voice stood out among the whispers—but she still couldn’t understand what he was saying. Everything was a blur in her mind.

 

Hours later, she awoke in the medical wing at HQ. Nova blinked, eyes adjusting to the harsh fluorescent lights. She glanced around the room, taking her surroundings. The room was rather bare—a few pieces of medical equipment, the privacy curtain, and a chair that sat in the corner. Though it wasn’t the chair that caught her attention. It was the occupant.

“Adrian?” she said, so quietly she was sure there was no way he could have heard her, but his head shot up and he was by her side in an instant, crouching by her bed.

He grabbed her hand and gripped it between his, tears glistening in his eyes. “Nova, I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you.”

She smiled faintly at his words and gripped his hand with what little strength she had. “It’s going to take a lot more than that to kill me.” Her brow furrowed as their argument from earlier came back to her. “Are you mad at me? For being Nightmare?”

Adrian winced. “I was hoping you wouldn’t bring that up. I figured we could sort that out later.” He reached up and cupped her cheek. “Right now, I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m fine. A bit shaken up, but I’m fine.” She hesitated. “Could we just get it over with?”

“When were you going to tell me?” they said at almost the same time. Nova let out an awkward laugh, then nodded for him to answer.

“Whenever I thought the time was right. I know how much you hate the Sentinel and I didn’t want to risk our relationship because of a few reckless decisions on my part.”

“Well, I know how hellbent you were on taking down Nightmare, so I planned to put it off as long as possible. Maybe even forever if I could have gotten away from it.” Her grip on his hand tightened ever so slightly. “I was almost willing to leave the Anarchists behind for you.”

The hand on her cheek dropped, and it was almost as if, just for a second, Adrian had forgotten she was an Anarchist. “You’d have done that for me?”

She nodded. “Maybe. But now I guess it doesn’t matter with the Anarchists being gone and all…” She cleared her throat. “Do you think you could maybe look past me being Nightmare and still be friends? Or maybe more than friends?” She chewed on her bottom lip, nervously awaiting his response.

“Now that I know the girl behind the mask—the real Nova McLain—”

“Artino.”

“—the real Nova Artino—I know you’re more than just Nightmare, more than just a girl who wants revenge. You put on this tough exterior, but you’re really a softie underneath.” He flashed her a goofy grin and she glared at him but was unable to maintain it, she was grinning back. “Wait, but what about me being the Sentinel? I know how much you hate him.”

“I think I could look past that.” 

He breathed a sigh of relief.

She moved over, making room for him in the bed. He got up from his crouching position and laid down on his side, facing her. They curled together, his arm draped over her and her head buried in his shoulder. Both were still wearing their tattered clothing, covered in dirt and blood. But neither seemed to care.


	13. Unmasking Herself

**_Anon asked: Could you do nova turning herself in? Thank you I love your fics!!!_ **

**I’m counting this as a prequel to T-shirt for no specific reason.**

Nova checked the duffel bag one more time, making sure her disguise and weapons were all in there. She pulled the hood over her head and glanced to make sure the street was clear before she left the alleyway, she didn’t bother putting her mask on. It’d be no use, considering she’d be revealed the second she stepped foot in the building.

The sun was starting to set and she knew it wouldn’t be long until everyone left to go home, so she needed to be fast. With one more look at the street, she slipped out of the alleyway and slowly approached the revolving doors. It was now or never.

She stepped inside the doors and entered as if nothing were different. As if she wasn’t about to turn herself in. Her plan was to tell Hugh and Simon because she felt that since they knew her and she was their son’s girlfriend, they would more understanding than the other Council members. Or it could turn out the opposite. But she tried not to dwell on the latter—it only made her more nervous.

“Everything is going to be fine,” she whispered to herself as she approached the front desk, pulling off her hood. Adrian appeared in the corner of her vision and came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Nova, what are you doing here so late?” he asked, his eyes flickering to the bag thrown over her shoulder then back to her face. “I thought you went home early.”

“I did, but,” she hesitated, “I need to tell your dads something and it can’t wait.”

He nodded. “They should be in their offices. Do you want me to take you up?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” 

“Here, I can take your bag for you.” He started to reach for the bag on her shoulder, but she quickly moved it out of his reach.

“No, thanks.” She flashed him a smile. “I’ve got it.” He nodded and stepped closer to her, reaching for her hand.

“What’s in there?.” He gestured towards the bag with his free hand, slowing down a little.

“Oh, it’s part of the reason I came to see your dads.”

“What _did_ you come to tell them?”

She looked down at her feet, starting to walk a little faster. “I’d rather not talk about it right now.” She squeezed his hand.

They entered the elevator and waited in awkward silence until the door closed. “Would you mind waiting outside while I talk to them? Please?”

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. She stepped out, Adrian on her heels. “If you insist,” he replied, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go.

She walked over to Hugh’s office and knocked on the door, trying to compose herself. The door opened and Hugh poked his head out, expression softening a bit at the sight of her. “What is it, Insomnia?”

“Um, there’s something I need to tell you and the Dread Warden. Is there any way I could talk to you both? Like right now? It’s really important.”

“Yes, of course.” He stepped back into the room and opened the door wider, gesturing for her to enter. “You can wait over there while I get Simon.” He pointed to a set of chairs in front of his desk, she sat down and placed the bag down beside her.

He returned two minutes later, Simon in tow. She sat up and cautiously watched as they took a seat across from her.

“So,” Hugh began, crossing his legs at the ankles, “what was it you needed to talk about?”

She pushed the bag towards them, not uttering a single word.

Hugh and Simon shared a look as they opened the bag. Simon gasped as he pulled out her mask and one of the weapons she had made.

“Where did you get all of this?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“I’ve had it for a while.” She looked down at her feet, unable to look them in the eyes.

“Then why are you just showing it to us now?” Hugh’s voice boomed, and Nova flinched at his harsh words. “Do you know who she is?”

“It’s me.” She risked a glance at them. They were staring at her, dumbfounded. “I’m Nightmare.”

The room went silent and Nova kept her head low, almost ashamed at having to admit this. She had gotten pretty close to Hugh and Simon in the two months she had been dating Adrian, going over to their house frequently to have dinner and to stay the night. The little voice in the back of her head—the one that told her Hugh and Simon were her enemies, that they were to blame for her families’ murders, that they were the villains—had gotten quieter. So quiet, it was barely even there anymore. But now she was on full alert.

She waited for the yelling, for the accusations, but they didn’t come. Only “Why?” followed by “Are you okay?”

Without looking up, she shook her head slowly, shoulders shaking with a tearless sob. She peered up at them, expecting for them to be angry. Instead, they looked almost sad.

Hugh raised his wristband and called for security while Simon walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched from the touch. “Nova, we’re so sorry, but we have no other options.” He squeezed her shoulder, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I hope you understand.”

“Yes, I get it. I’m the enemy. You can’t just let me off,” she said, her voice low and filled not with bitterness, but sadness.

“Nova, please don’t put it like that. You’re not our enemy,” Hugh said, moving to crouch down in front of. “Simon and I will sort this out, see if we can get you out with minimal charges.”

She lifted her head, looking him in the eye. “Why are you doing this for me?”

A knock interrupted them and Hugh got up to answer it. Two security guards stepped inside, one holding a pair of handcuffs. She stood up and held out her arms towards them. She allowed the guards to escort her out of the office, towards the elevator, no doubt taking her to one of the temporary holding cells.

Adrian stood by the elevator, eyes widening when he saw the handcuffs Nova was wearing. “What’s happening?” he yelled. She shook her head at him, looking down at the ground. “Dad, Pops, what’s happening?”

“We’ll explain later,” Hugh said in a hushed voice.

Everyone piled into the elevator, Adrian still trying to get an explanation out of someone. She kept her head down, not wanting to look at anyone. Feeling as if she would fall apart if she even glanced at Adrian.

The elevator stopped and they all exited. Nova was led towards one of the empty cells and locked in, her eyes closed the entire time. Adrian’s voice was getting louder, demanding to know what was happening.

“I’m Nightmare,” she said, so quietly that she was sure no one could hear it over Adrian’s voice. But everyone quieted and she could feel their eyes on her. She didn’t hear what came next—she was blocking it out, scared for what was to come.


	14. Peter McLain

**_Anon asked: Love your work- I have this little idea where Leroy pretends to be Nova's uncle so it's not suspicious he's never around, but then he embarrasses Nova by telling all these random stories but then it's cute and fluffy at the end [idk just an idea, its been on my and it keeps bugging me, do what you want with it] I'm rambling now so, I'll just end it here_ **

**I’m pretty sure this qualifies as a crack fic.**

When Adrian asked if he could meet her uncle, she had panicked. There was no way he could meet Nova’s uncle. It wasn’t like she had very many middle-aged men in her life that could easily pass as her uncle, so that’s why Leroy was pretending to be Peter McLain.

It had been Honey’s idea. Nova had paced their room, trying to think of some excuse she could to tell Adrian when Honey said she could use some of her make up to cover Leroy’s skin discoloration and they could find a way to dim the lights in the kitchen.

And that was how she found herself seated at the makeshift dining table, Leroy to her right and Adrian to her left. So far, everything was going great. Adrian was far too focused on Nova to pay any attention to her Uncle Peter, and Leroy just sat there in awkward silence.

“So,” Adrian began. “Nova told me that you keep bees?”

She almost choked on her food. Leroy shot her a confused look and she just shrugged, subtly nodding towards where Honey kept her bees.

“Oh right, those.” Leroy let out an awkward laugh, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. “Why don’t we talk about you and Nova? I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?”

Nova cast an awkward glance at Adrian before clearing her throat. “What do you want to know?”

Leroy hesitated, looking like he regretted starting this conversation. “Well, um, how long have you two been dating?”

“About a month,” Adrian said, reaching for her hand under the table.

The room fell into an awkward silence; Leroy looking down at his food, Adrian completely oblivious to the fact that Peter McLain was Cyanide, and Nova trying to stay composed on the outside while she was dying inside.

“Excuse me,” she said, standing up from her chair and rushing upstairs to beg for Honey’s assistance. When she went back downstairs, Leroy and Adrian were in deep conversation.

“...she started knitting. I don’t think she knows this, but I still have one of the scarves she made me. And when she was thirteen—”

“Don’t you dare tell him that,” she said, sitting back down at the table. “That is something I’d like to forget about.”

“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.” Leroy turned his attention back to Adrian, talking in a fake whisper. “When she was thirteen, she went through a phase where she wore all black, thick eyeliner—it made her look like a raccoon—”

Nova groaned, burying her face in her hands. This was _not_ happening. There was no way Leroy was actually telling her boyfriend about her “goth” phase.

“I might even have a photo around here somewhere.” Leroy stood up and started rifling through the drawers in the kitchen counter. She had forgotten that when they left the tunnels, Honey had brought some of the photos taken on an old, Polaroid-esque camera—many of which showcased Nova as a child. “Oh, here it is!” Leroy held up a handful of photos and sat back down, sliding them across the table to Adrian.

He thumbed through them, stopping at one of her from when she seven. In the picture, she was working on a weapon—her dart pen, she recognized it almost instantly—and her tongue was poked out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. The next one was of her knitting a sweater—it had been intended for Ingrid, but ended up being too small—she was about ten in the photo. And then came the dreaded photos from when she was a pre-teen. They were even worse than she remembered.

“Is that really you? You look so different,” Adrian said, handing the photo to her.

“Unfortunately.” Nova cast an embarrassed look at the photo before flipping it over.

“It’s not that bad. I mean, it could be worse.” He patted her on the hand and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. She rolled her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder. Both of them seemed to forget that her “uncle” was in the same room until he cleared his throat. They jumped apart, a blush tinting Nova’s cheeks.

“It’s getting late, don’t you think it’s time for you to head home?” Nova said, turning her attention back to Adrian.

“But it’s only seven—”

She gave him a pointed look, shaking her head subtly.

“Oh, uh, right. My dads are probably getting worried.” Adrian stood up and held out his hand for Leroy to shake. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. McLain.”

Leroy hesitated a second before accepting the outstretched hand. “And same to you, Adrian.”

“I’ll walk you out,” she said, pushing Adrian towards the door. They walked out onto the porch, Nova closing the door behind them. She huffed and leaned against the door “I’m sorry, my uncle’s not usually like that. He’s just a bit...awkward around company.”

“I’m just glad I finally got to meet him.” Adrian took a step closer to her, reaching for her hand. She nodded, leaning up to kiss him. His hands went to her waist briefly, before dropping and pulling away.

“I should get going. Bye, Nova,” he said, dropping her hand and turning to go. She waved at him, waiting until he was out of sight before going back inside.


	15. Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was basically my excuse to write fluff. it’s just a dump of fluff. that’s all it is. fluff. (they’re older in this, btw).

Nova sat up in bed, pressing a lazy kiss on Adrian’s jaw before rolling over and falling back asleep. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. With her back to his chest, she curled into his touch and yawned.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured, setting his chin on her shoulder.

“Good morning...” she trailed off into a yawn, twisting in his arms to face him. She slowly opened her eyes, greeted by his charming smile—though he looked just as tired as she felt.

They had stayed up way too late the night before, talking about their future. Discussing everything from engagements to marriage. Even though they were both exhausted, it was totally worth it.

 

_“Have you ever thought about getting married?” Nova had asked, changing out of her clothes and slipping on one of his old t-shirts and a pair of sweats. Adrian looked up and watched as she grabbed her brush off the dresser and sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair._

_“Yes,” he said, setting his book down on the nightstand._

_“I’ve always thought that I’d never want to get married, to settle down with someone. But that’s changed since I’ve been with you.” She set the brush back on the dresser and crawled into bed with him, curling up by his side._

_“Nova, what are you saying?” He settled an arm around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head. “Are...are you proposing?”_

_“If you want it to be a proposal, then yes.”_

_He went silent, the corners of his lips lifting into the whisper of a smile._

_“Adrian Everhart, will you marry me?”_

_“Great skies, yes.” He burst into a grin and pulled her into a tight embrace. She beamed at him, resting her forehead against his, and pressed a kiss to his mouth._

_“I love you, Adrian,” she whispered against his lips._

_“I love you, too.” Then he kissed her, burying a hand in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. The kiss started off slow and gentle, then it escalated. Adrian pulled her into his lap—one hand gripping her waist, the other buried in hair—and deepened the kiss. He broke the kiss and started trailing them down her jaw, her neck, stopping at her collarbone. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathless._

_They stayed like that for a while—it could have been a few minutes or an hour—neither saying a word._

_Nova was the first to speak up. “Let’s get married this weekend,” she mumbled, into his shoulder. “Neither of us wants a big, flashy wedding, so we could just do it at the courthouse. Get all the right documentation signed, then we’re married. Simple as that.”_

_“Are you sure?” He paused, tilting his head in consideration. “Because as long as you’re sure, I’m down.”_

_“I’m sure.”_

_“Then let’s do it, babe.”_

_She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before inching out of his lap, sitting cross-legged across from him, and flashed him a bright smile. “Let’s do it.”_


	16. Identities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was so much fun to write!

**_Anon asked: Ahhhhhh could you do nodrian they both turn themselves in? Thank you so much I love all your work_ **

Nova ran down the stairs, her bag full of weapons and disguise thrown over her shoulder. The Anarchists were still out and they wouldn’t be back until later, but she didn’t want to waste any time. She needed to get as far away from them as possible.

In recent weeks, she had begun to notice that little things about the way the Anarchists acted around her. That they would act nicer when they wanted something or they would show her praise only when she did something they wanted. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that they had been manipulating and using her all these years. With this revelation and the guilt of being Nightmare, she decided that she needed to turn herself in to the Renegades as soon as possible.

She slipped out the back door and ran in the opposite direction of the rowhouse, only stopping once she was a few streets away. It was then that she realized she didn’t have anywhere to go. There was no way she could go back to the rowhouse, so her only option was Adrian’s house. She sent him a short message asking if she could stay the night at his house. He replied less than a minute later, saying she could come over. Her nerves eased a bit and she rushed over to his house, running practically the whole way there.

The only time she stopped was when she reached his front door, waiting to catch her breath before knocking. Adrian opened the door, smile faltering when he saw her expression.

“Is something wrong?” he asked as he invited her inside.

She mouthed the word _nightmare_ , and he nodded in understanding. He motioned for her to follow him, then led her down the narrow staircase to his room. It wasn’t until the door closed that she breathed a sigh of relief and gently set her bag down on his couch before collapsing on the end of his bed.

“Nova,” he said, sitting down beside her, “what happened?”

“I ran away from the Anarchists, I don’t want to be one of them anymore. The guilt of being Nightmare is getting to me, I can’t go on like this much longer.” He sympathized with her, saying he felt the same about being the Sentinel.

A little over a month ago, they had revealed their secret identities to each other. Rather than work against each other or rat the other out, they started working together—as Nightmare and the Sentinel—baffling the Renegades. Nova and Adrian had taken it too far and were now walking on eggshells to avoid being revealed. The Council had started, for lack of better words, a witch hunt against the two, saying they were too dangerous and a threat to the city. Now, as they sat on his bed forming a plan to turn themselves in, both agreeing that it’d be the smartest course of action. But that didn’t make them any less nervous about it—so many things could go wrong.

The plan was for them to show up to headquarters as normal. Nova was bringing her duffel bag—full of weapons she had used as Nightmare and her disguise—with the intent of handing it over to the Council. While it pained her to hand over so many of the weapons that she had put so much effort into, they were a part of Nightmare and she didn't want that part of her anymore. They were going to go straight to the Council to confess their secret identities. Everything after that was for the Council to decide.

Nova reached for Adrian's hand, gripping it tightly. She scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

“It’s the best we’ve got,” he said, offering her a forced smile.

“But I’m not sure it’s the best idea to just spring it on them. My relationship with the Council is precarious enough. They barely know me. The _real me_ , at least. Nova Artino. Not Nova McLain, not Insomnia. And definitely not Nightmare. Plus, I don’t think the fact that Ace Anarchy is my uncle will help.”

Adrian pulled away and turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “It’ll be fine. I promise.” He smiled again, this time more genuine.

“You don’t know that, Adrian.” She ducked her head, tears forming in her eyes. 

He sighed. “You’re right, I don’t. But I can hope. And remember, you can back out if you want to. If you’re not ready to turn yourself in, then we don’t have to do it today.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then he pulled away and cupped her face. “You’re a good person, Nova. We only need to show them that.”

“I’m not backing out now. And besides, it’s more complicated than that. I’m an ex-Anarchist—well, kind of—and I’m the niece of the most hatred prodigy in the world. Not exactly the best circumstances.”

“Please, just put a little more faith in our plan. I’ll do everything I can to make it work.”

Her only response was to slump against him, burying her face in his chest. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close. For someone who didn’t sleep, she was exhausted.

“Everything will be okay,” he murmured, his words slightly muffled by her hair. Already, she could feel herself drifting off in his arms despite the stress she felt for what they were about to do.


	17. Secrets

**_Anon asked: Could you pls write a fic where Nova gets into and argument with the Anarchists_ **

Nova slipped into the alley, stopping for only a second to catch her breath. Then she was running again, not really sure where she was going and only caring as long it was far away from the Anarchists.

They had just gotten into an argument. Questioning her loyalty. Accusing her of betraying them. In the end, they basically told her that she needed to make a choice between them or the Renegades—she couldn’t have both.

She had kept her composure until she was out of the house, though the second she turned onto a different street, she crumbled. It had been years since the Anarchists had seen her cry, and she didn't want to give them any sick sense of satisfaction they might get from it. All she wanted to do was make them proud, and instead, they disowned her. Or at least that was how it felt to her. But Nova was sure everything would blow over by the morning. At least she hoped it would.

Her pace slowed when she reached the beginning of a neighborhood. It took a second for her to realize that this was Adrian's neighborhood. Deciding it was too late to turn back, she headed towards his house. She hesitated for only a moment before walking up his drive and knocking on the door.

Simon answered, a smile slowing spreading on his face. “Oh, Nova, what a pleasant surprise—” he stopped short as he took in her puffy eyes, wet cheeks, and overall disheveled appearance, concern washing over his features. “Is something wrong?” he asked in a rushed voice, gesturing for her to come inside.

She merely nodded and swiped at her eyes with her wrist. Stepping inside she asked, “Is Adrian home?”

“Yes. He's in his room.” Simon left her standing by the door and went over to the staircase that led to the basement, announcing her presence to him. Adrian was upstairs a few seconds later, pausing as he took in her appearance.

“Nova, are you okay?” he asked, moving to stand beside her. She gave the subtlest shake of her head and looked down at her feet.

Simon took this as his cue to leave the room, offering Nova a warm smile before heading upstairs.

“Did something happen with your uncle?” Adrian inquired, reaching for her hand, concern shining in his eyes.

She met his gaze. “He and I got into an argument. But I really don't want to talk about it. Can I stay here for the night?” She chewed on her lower lip, quickly adding, “While I wait for it to blow over?”

He nodded and led her into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Nova hesitated for a second before sitting down next to him. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” He reached for her hand again, turning to face her. “I’m here if you need me.”

“I'm sure. It's just... it's complicated.” A tear escaped her eye. Then another. And another. And eventually, her tears turned into sobs.

She buried her face in his chest, barely registering as he wrapped his arms around her. He remained silent, holding her as she cried.

Something came over her, and she had the odd urge to spill all her secrets to him. Before she could think better of it, she whispered, “I'm Nightmare.” The instant the words left her mouth, she regretted. But she couldn’t take them back now.

His body stiffened, though his arms remained around her. Silence filled the air. He stared at her with a mixed expression, and she couldn't tell if he was angry, or confused, or something else entirely. Nova started to pull away from him. Slowly extracting herself from his arms.

“I'm sorry,” she choked out, standing up. “I...I'll leave if you want me to. I—”

“Nova, wait,” he stood up and reached for her wrist. “Please, just let me process this. It’s a lot to take in and…” His eyes locked with hers, a new intensity in his gaze. They fell into silence once more.

A few minutes passed before Adrian finally spoke again. “I’ll keep a secret. I—I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” He lifted his hand to her cheek, and she flinched, thinking he was about to strike her. His hand dropped and he took a small step back, an apology written in his eyes. She knew it was unreasonable of her to think Adrian would ever do something like that, but she was on edge.

Releasing her breath, she took a tentative step towards him. Then she practically flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Burying her face in his shirt. He returned her embrace, resting his chin atop her head.

“Thank you,” Nova said softly. Tears pricked her eyes. And, just for a moment, she allowed herself to pretend as if she and Adrian Everhart were allowed to be together. Pretending that they could be happy together. Not a secret identity between them.


	18. Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just kinda threw canon out the window with this one: Nodrian doesn’t exist, it’s all Nobell.

**_Anon asked: Could you do a fic where something happens and Nova decides to let Danna’s butterfly free, expecting to be attacked and captured or something, but while Danna was trapped Danna saw how the anarchists were guilt tripping Nova into doing all the nightmare stuff and just gives her a hug and all that jazz? Thanks_ **

Nova had left HQ early and rushed home, sprinting up the stairs to her room. The Anarchists were at the Cathedral so she had the whole house to herself, but she wasn’t sure for how long.

At headquarters, the hunt for Danna was growing more and more desperate with every passing day. Danna had been gone for almost two weeks now and everyone was beginning to think the worst. The guilt was starting to get to Nova and she decided it'd be best to let Danna go, not caring about the consequences.

Nova walked over to the vanity where the jar sat and picked it up. She drew in a deep breath and twisted the lid off. Her steps were slow as she opened the window and placed the jar on the sill.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes following the butterfly’s path out of the jar. It flew over to her and landed on her shoulder before fluttering to the window sill. 

Nova took a few steps back, putting some distance between her and the swarm of butterflies coming in through her window, reuniting with the one that had been trapped. Their wings became a blur as they transformed into the body of a girl.

Danna blinked, quickly glancing around the room before stepping towards Nova. It took every bit of strength for Nova to not back up. Instead, she held her head high and prepared herself for the attack that was sure to come.

But an attack didn’t come. At least, not the kind Nova had been expecting.

Danna pulled Nova into an embrace, her arms wrapped tight around Nova. She paused, her body stiffening at the touch.

“Nova,” Danna began, “I—I had no idea they treated you like that.”

“What do you mean?” Nova asked, resisting the urge to accept the comfort Danna was offering her.

“The Anarchists. I don’t know how else to put this, but...but it’s obvious that they’ve been manipulating you.” At this, Nova finally gave in and melted into Danna’s embrace. “It was hard watching them walk all over you knowing I was powerless to do anything about it.” Danna took a deep breath before pushing them an arm’s length apart, her hands on Nova’s shoulders. Nova’s thoughts turned to all the different possible outcomes. She worried that Danna about to take back everything she had just said and announce that Nova was under arrest—

“I want to help you, Nova,” Danna said, tilting her head slightly so she could look Nova in the eyes.

Nova opened her mouth to speak, but Danna continued.

“I want to help you get away from the Anarchists, leave all of this behind.” Danna paused briefly before adding, “Assuming that’s what you want.”

Nova was silent for a long moment. “And what would become of me after I’ve left the Anarchists? Would I become a true full-fledged Renegade? Because I’ll tell you right now that’s not what I want.” Nova folded her arms across her chest, shaking Danna’s hands off her shoulders.

“And what _do_ you want?” Danna raised an eyebrow, mirroring Nova’s stance.

“I...I’m not really sure,” Nova admitted, hanging her head. Her arms fell to her sides, clasping in front of her.

Danna stepped towards her, lifting Nova’s chin with her hand. For a split second, Nova thought Danna was going to kiss her. Instead, she leaned in and whispered, “What if I could offer you the chance to escape? To change your identity and leave Gatlon behind?” Danna hesitated. “We could run away together and leave the past behind us. Just you and me.”

Nova tilted her head, considering. Her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned up to kiss Danna. It was just a soft peck, their lips barely even brushed. But it was just enough to leave them both longing for more. Danna smiled softly as she linked their pinkies together, brushing Nova’s lips with hers once more before pulling away.

“The Anarchists are going to be back soon,” Nova whispered, a wisp of a smile on her lips. “So you’d best be going.”

Danna nodded. “Please let me know once you’ve made your decision.” She gave Nova a small wave before transforming into the butterfly swarm and disappearing out the window.

Nova’s hand drifted to her lips, touching where Danna’s lips had been only a few minutes ago. “Goodbye, Danna,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


	19. Butterflies (continued)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is rather short, but it ought to do.

_**Anon asked: Can you make some sort of sequel to butterflies when they run away or something like that. I'm so glad this ship is finally gonna get some attention.** _

A single tear slid down Nova's cheek as she threw some clothes and weapons into her backpack. She blinked before any more could form, then shouldered the bag. Without looking back, she exited her room, rushed down the stairs, and ran out the backdoor, slamming it in her haste.

As promised, Danna was waiting in the back alley for her. Nova's panic eased a little at the sight of her, although new butterflies of nervousness tingled in her gut at the sight of Danna.

This wasn't the first time that they'd seen each other in the weeks following Danna's return. They spent all of their free time together—planning their escape. All other time was divided between Danna getting caught up with everything that had happened in her absence, and trying to keep all evidence pointed away from Nova.

Nova ran to Danna's open arms, resting her chin on Danna's shoulder as she embraced her girlfriend. In turn, Danna wrapped her arms around Nova. They'd been officially dating for less than a month, but already Nova was in love.

Danna pulled away, leaning her forehead against Nova's, their noses brushing. Nova dropped her arms from around Danna, reaching for her hands instead.

“Are you ready?” whispered Danna.

Her breath was hot against Nova's lips and she longed to close the distance between their mouths—barely even an inch.

Their lips met. The kiss went from something slow, a moment both were trying to savor, into a sloppy delirium, a product of all the fear they held for what they about to do. The kiss soon calmed as reality settled back down around them.

Nova pulled away, shuddering. A little voice in the back of her head screamed at her: _No, you aren’t ready to leave. You can’t leave behind the Anarchists—your family. Papá and Mom would be disappointed in you for leaving behind family._

Nova shut that voice out, telling herself that her parents would be proud. That she was not only starting this new life for herself, but also for the memory of her family. Her real family.

Nova cleared her throat. “Ready when you are.”

She laced her fingers with Danna’s, smiling softly. After tonight, she’d no longer be Nova McLain or Nova Artino or Nightmare or Insomnia, she would assume a new identity—as would Danna—and live a new life in a new town where no one knew who she was or who her uncle was. Then she could do whatever she wanted without fear of being unmasked. But most important of all: she was free of the ghosts of her past. Only she, Danna, and their future together lay ahead of her.


	20. We Can't Do This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the product of sleep deprivation.

Tears flowed freely down both of their cheeks. Danna stared at Nova in shock, her gaze traveling from the gun in Nova’s hand to her face. Nova’s hand shook as she aimed the gun at Danna, her finger hovering over the trigger.

_Pull the trigger_ , Ace’s voice whispered in the back of her head.

Nova desperately tried to block out Ace’s voice, reminding herself that he wasn’t there. He was dead. He couldn’t make her shoot Danna.

“Please, Nova,” Danna begged, “don’t do this.”

_Pull the trigger, Nova._

“No!” Nova screamed, releasing the gun. “I can’t do this. I can’t—”

She stumbled backward, stepping away from both the gun and Danna. The air around them was tense, and Nova found it hard to breathe. Her breaths started coming in quick and uneven. Soon she was gasping for breath, her entire body shaking. Her legs wobbled as if they would collapse under her any moment. 

She barely registered Danna’s touch as she pulled Nova into an embrace, both sinking in a heap to the ground. Danna clutched Nova tighter, burying her face in Nova's shoulder. Nova's breathing soon slowed, and she found the strength to clutch Danna back.

The world around them seemed to still. Screams and gunshots from the distant battle went silent. The only sound was the beating of their hearts.

“D-Danna, I'm sorry,” said Nova, breaking the silence. Everything seemed to crash back down on her at once. It was no longer just her and Danna in the world. The stench of blood and gunpowder filled the air, assaulting Nova’s senses. All of the horrible memories started flooding back. How the Anarchists had been so sure they’d win. How they’d fought right up until their deaths. The looks of disgust and betrayal the Renegades gave her when she was unmasked as Nightmare. She shuddered as she remembered how her team had reacted—minus Danna, who had already forgiven Nova beforehand and promised to keep it a secret. Ruby and Adrian had probably taken it the worst, questioning if their friendship with Nova had been real or if that had been a lie as well. Oscar refused to even look at her, taking Adrian and Ruby’s side. Danna had tried to make a case for Nova, but they refused to listen. After that, Nova parted ways with them and fought on _her_ side for the rest of the battle.

A sob erupted from Danna’s throat, dragging Nova back to the present. Nova tightened her grip, allowing herself to pretend it was just her and Danna, and nothing could hurt them. The sounds from the battle seemed to be getting closer, gunshots cracking through the air followed by yelling.

Nova scrambled to her feet and stumbled back a few steps before regaining her balance and offering Danna a hand. Danna accepted it and climbed to her feet, moving a step closer. Then another, and another, and another. Eventually, they were standing face-to-face, mere inches apart.

A longing to close the small gap between them flooded Nova's limbs. Her heart sped up and she could practically hear it pounding her chest. Danna leaned forward slightly, angling her head—

“We can’t do this,” said Nova softly, her gaze falling to her feet. Danna stopped, staring at Nova wide-eyed. Nova balled up her fists, frustrated at her own emotions. 

“Nova,” said Danna softly, barely audible over the deafening sounds of battle. She reached for Nova’s hands and gently unfurled her fingers, gripping Nova’s hands between her own. Nova reluctantly met Danna’s gaze, not wanting to see the ache that was so painfully written across Danna’s features.

“We can’t do this,” Nova repeated, her tone more forceful this time. She started to pull her hands away from Danna but something in Danna’s expression stopped her.

“Why?” Danna asked, her pleading eyes boring into Nova’s.

“Why? My uncle. The other Anarchists. Nightmare. I’m an Anarchist and your a Renega—”

 

“And? Those are all things I could easily look past and that we could work through.”

“Danna, you don’t understand.” Nova’s voice began to rise with each word. “That’s just the beginning of my long list of problems. Trust me, you don’t want me. I’ll just be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden.”

“How do you know that?” Nova was screaming now. “You don’t have to deal with me on a daily basis. You’ve never seen me at one of my low points.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “And I don't want to hurt you.”

Danna pressed her forehead against Nova’s. “You almost _shot_ me earlier. But here I am, begging for you to give me a chance. So, please, Nova, just give me a chance. Give _us_ a chance.”

Before she knew what was happening, Danna was kissing her. Nova's whole body went aflame, her cheeks flushing.

Nova gasped and pulled away with a shaky inhale. Her forehead dropped onto the crook of Danna's neck, and her eyes started to fill with tears. Danna wrapped her arms loosely around Nova’s frame.

“I’ll only end up hurting you.” Nova pulled back, daring to meet Danna’s gaze. “I...I love you, Danna, and I don’t want to cause you any more pain than I already have.”

Danna cupped Nova’s cheek, tears glistening in her eyes. Nova’s heart raced, the battle was getting ever closer and it wouldn’t be long until they were in the center of it. Goosebumps raised on their arms, the air around them electric.

“So what if you hurt me? I’ll only heal.” Danna’s hand fell and she laced their fingers together. “I love you, too, Nova.”

A magnetic force pulled them together. Nova buried a hand in Danna’s hair and brought Danna’s mouth to hers. Danna gasped but was soon kissing Nova back. The kiss was slow, a moment both were trying to savor.

Then a gunshot cracked through the air, sounding as if it were only a few feet away. The rational part of Nova’s brain told her to stop kissing Danna, to run as far away from here as she could. but Nova shut that part out and kissed Danna harder.

The battle was raging all around them now, but Nova’s thoughts only consisted of Danna. The feeling of Danna’s lips against her. Danna’s hand in her hair. Her other on Nova’s waist.

Nova wrapped her arms around Danna’s neck and filled the kiss with all of her longing. A chill traveled up Nova’s spine as another bullet whizzed through the air, dangerously close to them.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she broke the kiss and dragged Danna over to a crumbled wall to take shelter. She leaned against the wall, out of breath. Danna was standing in front of her, a hand on the wall, just above Nova’s shoulder.

Danna leaned down, kissing Nova once more. Nova wrapped her arms around Danna’s neck, their bodies curving together.

_Danna, Danna, Danna_ , Nova’s thoughts whispered. All of her senses were on overload and she felt separated from the world around her. The gunshots and yells faded to the background once more, the only sound the pounding of their hearts.

It was like they were in their own little world, where nobody could hurt them. And for a moment, Nova allowed herself to believe that that was true.

Danna grunted in pain, dragging Nova back to reality. She slumped in Nova’s arms, her body limp. Nova, as gently as she could, lowered her to the ground.

“Danna?” Nova asked, panic flooding into her voice. Danna didn’t respond.

Nova carefully turned Danna onto her side, noticing the growing stain of red on Danna’s Renegade uniform. She made quick work of opening Danna’s uniform to better inspect the wound so she could decide which way would best to dress it until she could get a prodigy healer.

Danna’s entire upper back was sticky with blood, but Nova found the bullet wound almost immediately. She ripped off a piece of her jacket and wrapped it tightly around Danna’s middle, hoping to slow down the blood flow, even if it was just a little bit. But by the time she was done, the blood had almost soaked through already. Danna’s breathes were becoming labored and her eyes were shut in pain.

Nova crouched beside her body, gripping one of Danna’s hand between her own. Her cheeks were streaked with tears as she realized there was nothing she could do to save Danna in time.

“Danna, don’t leave me,” Nova cried, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Nova longed to switch places with her. It wasn’t fair that Danna was the one dying when Nova knew that she was the one who should be dying. 

“I’m so sorry,” Nova sobbed, pain exploding in her chest. Danna’s breaths were becoming farther apart. It wouldn’t be long until she was gone.

Nova watched as Danna took her last breath, sobbing over her body. She waited a few minutes before pulling her mask off her belt and putting it on. Nova slowly rose to her feet, then headed towards the battlefield, vowing to get justice for Danna.


	21. Paint Me In Trust

Nightmare’s mask was gripped in Nova’s hand, the metal bent at such odd angles it barely resembled its original shape. Without a second thought, she cast it to the side. It clattered to the floor of the fire escape, metal clanging against metal, and she turned her head away from it, wanting nothing more to do with it or the memories it carried.

For over a week, the Anarchists and the Renegades had been battling in what they were now referring to as the Final Battle for Gatlon. Earlier the previous day, the Anarchists had surrendered to the Renegades—Nightmare included. The Renegades had decided to put all of the older Anarchists in Cragmoor and to maybe neutralize them at a later date, while they would hold a trial for Nightmare because she didn’t seem loyal to either side. And maybe because her team had pleaded for the Council to give her a chance, specifically Adrian and Danna. The Council held a swift mini-trial and ultimately decided to let her off on parole until they could give her an actual trial, once everything had settled down.

After that was settled, Nova slipped away from the Renegades and wandered through the desolate streets of Gatlon. Houses and apartments had been abandoned as people fled to the other side of the city and the outskirts, in an attempt to get away from the battle. She had spent most of the night wandering the moonlit streets, eventually ending up at the park. Nova had spent a good hour, maybe two, in the statue glen, resting her back against the statue as she soaked in the moonlight, completely at peace. When she saw the first light of dawn, she decided to head back towards the city.

Not quite ready to head back to Headquarters or face the Renegades, she climbed the fire escape of a building only a few blocks away from HQ, wanting just a little more time alone. Now, she sat on the ladder of a fire escape, watching as the sun rose.

The sun was almost over the city’s skyline when a hand settled on her shoulder and lips pressed to her temple. Nova turned her head to the side and caught Adrian’s gaze out of the corner of her eye.

“Hello,” she whispered, scooting to one side to the ladder in order to make room for him.

“Hey,” he replied, sitting down beside her. It was a tight fit, their knees pressed together. His arm encircled her waist and she rested her head against his shoulder. They fell into a comfortable silence, the streets below them devoid of their usual life and sound. Though Adrian soon broke it.

“Now that it feels like society’s collapsed, do you feel relaxed?” he asked, his tone light and teasing.

Nova rolled her eyes and pulled away to face him, noting the change in his expression, from joking to serious. “No, I’ve realized that it would take more than that make me feel relaxed, or safe.” Adrian cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “And that’s a bit dramatic. Society’s still very much intact, though the same can’t be said for Gatlon.” She reached for his free hand. “Besides, you...you make me feel safe, Adrian.” A blush flamed across her cheeks and she struggled to hold his gaze.

“Do you really mean that?” He squeezed her hand, eyes searching hers.

“It’d been at least ten years since I last slept, and I fell asleep in _your_ arms. What do you think?” She offered him a shy smile, settling close to him once again.

“Yes?” He let out a small laugh.

“Good guess.” Nova moved to kiss him on the cheek, but Adrian turned his head and their lips brushed. She pulled back, grinning, then leaned in again and kissed him. All of her thoughts were replaced with Adrian as his arm tightened around her waist and she was pulled even closer to him, so close that she was practically in his lap.

“Ow,” he muttered, suddenly pulling away and rubbing at his elbow. He mumbled something else about the “stupid fire escape.”

“Let’s go somewhere else.”

She gave him a wary look.

“Come on, I have the perfect place in mind.” Adrian stood up and held his hand out to her. She grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” A grin was plastered across his face as he let go of her hand and started making his way down the fire escape. She started to follow him but stopped short when she caught sight of Nightmare’s mask. Instinctively, she started to reach for it, but she stopped, reminding herself that she wouldn’t need it ever again. She wouldn’t touch it ever again. She was supposed to be leaving Nightmare behind her.

Once they were both on the ground, he grabbed her hand once more and began leading her down the street.

Nova noticed that life was slowly starting to return to Gatlon. A car would drive by every so often. Distant voices traveled through the air, coming from open windows and other streets. Though it wasn’t as lively as it was before and, as Nova feared, it would probably never be that way again, or at least not for a long time. After all, the city was still recovering from the Age of Anarchy when the battle broke out, the battle had been the last thing it needed. Not to mention how unstable Gatlon’s government was. Which was something Nova hoped to help the Renegades with, building a fair system; assuming they’d let her. Nevertheless, she was still the niece of Ace Anarchy and an ex-Anarchist, and nothing could ever change that.

They turned onto another street, and she noticed that they were nearing the park. Adrian led them through the park, towards the statue glen.

She beamed as they made their way down the small, moss-covered staircase, still holding onto his hand. A strange giddiness flooded through her as they approached the statue and settled in front of it.

Adrian sprawled his legs out in front of him while Nova sat cross-legged beside him. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and she leaned her back against him. They were silent for a few moments before Adrian spoke up.

“You never did tell me what truly happened with your family,” he said softly.

She didn't say anything, unsure of how to respond.

“I want to get to know the real you, Nova. Nova Artino, not McLain.” He paused before hastily adding, “But I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

When she didn’t respond, he placed a kiss just below her ear, sending a small shiver down her spine.

She found his hands and laced their fingers together, heart hammering in her chest. “Are...are you sure you want to know?”

“As long as you’re comfortable with telling me.”

Nova nodded and began telling him her story again, the entire truth this time. When she finished, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was gripping his hands so tightly, her knuckles were starting to pale. Then she started to talk about how the Anarchists had raised her, throwing in little anecdotes every once in a while. Her hands loosened a little, but her tears flowed faster. By the end of it, she felt like a weight had been lifted, glad that she finally had someone to confide in. And she was shaking, raw with emotion at having bared her soul before someone.

She turned to face him, trying to compose her emotions. “Do you understand now? They’ve done a lot of bad things, things I don’t agree with, but they’re still the people who raised me, my family, and I still love them for that.”

“I understand. And...and I appreciate you for telling me all this. I know it couldn’t have been easy.” He offered her a small smile, reaching up to wipe her tears away then kissing where they had been.

She smiled softly at him. “Thank you for listening, Adrian.” Nova ducked her head, hair falling in front of her face, cheeks aflame.

He leaned forward and tucked the strands behind her ear, cupping her cheek with his hands. New tears started to form in her eyes, and his gaze softened. “I love you, Nova Artino, and, for as long as we’re together, I’ll always be here to listen to you. No matter what.”

Nova went silent for a few seconds, taking a second to process his words.

“Adrian, do...do you really mean that?” The tears in her eyes were threatening to spill and she quickly blinked them away.

“Yes,” he breathed, moving his face closer to hers. Then he kissed her.

This kiss was different from all of their other kisses. There was a new level of intimacy and meaning.

Nova tried to communicate that she loved him too through her touch. The hand in his hair, the arm partially wrapped around his neck, his lips on hers. Adrian’s hands traveled to her waist and he pulled her closer to him, she sighed softly against his lips before breaking the kiss.

“I love you, too, Adrian Everhart.”


	22. Unbreakable

Adrian's heart sped up as he turned onto Nova's street, suddenly nervous at the thought of seeing her again. She hadn’t been answering any of his messages, and it’d been a few days since she’d showed up to Headquarters. It was starting to worry him. He made his way up her drive and knocked on her door, but no answer came.

“Nova, it’s me. Are you home?” Adrian said as he knocked again. On the third knock, a voice called weakly for him to come in.

Slowly, he opened the door and stepped inside, noticing that nothing had changed since the last time he’d been here. He spotted Nova sitting on the couch in the front room, her face buried in her hands.

“Nova?” he asked, panic seeping into his voice. She slowly lifted her head, eyes meeting his. 

Adrian sat down next to her, reaching for her hand. She stared at the floor, acknowledging his presence with a small nod. He studied her profile, watching as a tear rolled down her cheek before moving to gently wipe it away. She turned to look at him, and he just now noticed how disheveled she looked. Nova’s eyes were bloodshot and her hair was even more of a mess than usual. For someone who didn’t need sleep, she looked exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Everything.” Nova shut her eyes briefly, squeezing his hand. “I can’t do this anymore, Adrian.” She looked up at him, eyes pleading. “I’m tired of this charade, of pretending to be a Renegade.” Her voice shook on the last word.

“What do you mean?” His eyes searched hers, looking for some kind of explanation.

“Don’t you get it?” Nova’s voice rose with each word, her tone changing from solemn to fierce as she ripped her hand out of his hold. “I’m Nightmare.”

Adrian stared at her, letting the words sink in. “Nova, I…” he began, trying to piece together his thoughts to form one coherent sentence, but his mind was a jumble. His mind raced, struggling to connect Nightmare, a dangerous villain, to Nova McLain—the girl he _really_ liked, maybe even _loved_.

Then Nova was kissing him. He gasped against her lips and although he knew it was a terrible idea, he kissed her back.

_She’s your enemy_ , his mind screamed at him, repeating it over and over again. But those thoughts were soon blocked out by thoughts of the feeling her lips on his, the arm around his neck, the hand on his shoulder.

Every time Adrian tried to pull away, he found himself pulling Nova closer. It was almost as if a magnetic force was bringing them together. It wasn’t until his shoulders hit the armrest that he noticed his body had been reclining. He buried a hand in her hair, the other wrapping around her waist. Any remaining thoughts of Nightmare had dissipated, and now his entire focus was on Nova. Eventually, they broke apart, both out of breath.

She curled up beside him and rested her head against his shoulder. Adrian wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled softly.

Adrian knew he shouldn’t be this close to her. He knew he should despise her. But, curled up in his arms, Nova looked so small and harmless, so unlike a villain, and it was hard to feel any form of hatred towards her.

The light filtering through the mustard-yellow blanket that hung over the window was starting to dim, and he could tell it wouldn’t be long until the sun set. His dads would be expecting him home for dinner soon.

“Nova,” he began, “it’s getting late, I should be going soon.”

She nodded but made no move of getting up. “Your dads. Are you going to tell them?” she whispered. 

Adrian went silent, not having thought that far.

“I completely understand if you are,” Nova continued. ” I mean, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to finally have unmasked Nightmare. But I’d like to know ahead of time so I can try to prepare myself for it.”

“No. I won’t tell them. I...I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Thank you, but you don't have to do that.” Nova moved off him, standing up. He followed, pulling her into an embrace.  
She reached for his hand and walked him to the door, standing up on tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Adrian.”

“See you later, Nova.” He leaned down and kissed her once more before slipping out the door and heading home.


	23. Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly have no idea what this is, it's a mess. most of this was written while i was half asleep so don’t take it too seriously.

“Please don't do this,” Ruby whispered, reaching for Oscar’s hand. “It doesn't have to be this way.”

“I’m sorry, Ruby, but I have no choice,” Oscar said sorrowfully, placing his card on top of the stack. “Draw four.”

Ruby sighed and dramatically threw herself across his lap, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead. “How could you?” Ruby exclaimed, closing her eyes. “I thought what we had was real.”

Oscar rested his hand against her hair, eyes wide as he met Adrian’s gaze. He gestured in Ruby’s direction, mouthing ‘help’. Adrian smiled encouragingly and shrugged.

“Um, Ruby—” The words caught in his throat when Ruby sat up abruptly, surprising him, and he made a choking sound. Oscar laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off. But Ruby didn’t seem to notice.

After a few seconds of silence, she rolled her eyes and drew her cards. The rest of the game went on without much spectacle, and Nova ended up winning.

As Danna started reshuffling the deck, Ruby said, yawning, “I’m getting bored of cards. Why don’t we watch that movie you were talking about, Adrian?”

Adrian nodded and stood up, going over to the TV. “Nova, do you mind making the popcorn? The bags should be out on the counter.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said. Nova got up from her spot on the floor and headed towards the kitchen, stopping in the threshold. A strange feeling came over her, and she realized that this was the first time she was back in Adrian’s house since she had revealed herself to her team. She had never thought she’d still have a good relationship with them after the reveal, and definitely not invited back over to Adrian’s house. But when she told them—though Danna already knew and was keeping quiet about it—they were mad at first, but after she explained everything, they cooled down and were understanding, welcoming her with open arms. It was weird being inside his home now, the threat of being revealed no longer looming over her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, as her team and Callum were the only ones that knew.

Nova rushed into the kitchen and found the bags sitting on the counter by the microwave as promised. Once the bag of popcorn was finished popping, she poured it into two bowls. Grabbing the bowls, she hurried back into the living room. Though she had no need to rush, she couldn’t help but remember the last time she was at Adrian’s house and she ran into one of his dads in the kitchen. Neither of them were home at the moment, but there was still that worry in the back of her mind.

She found Oscar, Ruby, and Danna sitting on the couch, Ruby in the middle of them both. A blanket lay across the three of them. Adrian was sat on the floor in front of them, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Nova sat down next to Adrian, passing one bowl up to Ruby and settling the other in front of herself and Adrian.

Nova rested her head against Adrian’s shoulder, scooting closer to him. In turn, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Throughout the first half of the movie, Oscar kept making jokes until Danna finally had enough of him and reached across Ruby to hit him with a pillow.

As the movie neared the end, Nova heard a soft snoring sound coming from behind her. Upon turning around, she discovered Ruby asleep, her head against Oscar’s shoulder—whose eyes were starting to droop shut. Danna was curled up in the corner, looking as though she was on the verge of sleep too. Beside Nova, Adrian seemed to drift off every few minutes then would shake himself awake. The blanket that had been around Adrian was now draped across his and Nova’s laps.

Nova glanced at the clock and noticed that it was almost midnight. It looked as if their game and movie night was turning into a sleepover.

Adrian yawned and leaned closer to Nova, head resting against her shoulder. “Nova,” he whispered. “Do you want the headphones?”

Nova shook her head. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? It just doesn't seem fair for you to have to stay up while we all sleep.” He sat up, turning to face her. “I can stay up with you if you want.”

She smiled softly and leaned toward him, studying his features in the bluish light the TV gave off. “Thank you, but, like I said, I'll be fine. Besides, it's more complicated than a pair of headphones.” Nova lifted her hand. “Don't make me put you to sleep.” Though she had promised him that she’d never use her power on him, it had become a sort of an inside joke between them.

Adrian feigned offense, grinning at her. “You wouldn't dare.” Then he leaned closer and kissed her.

“I would,” she mumbled against his mouth, before kissing him back.

He pulled away after a few seconds, yawning.

“But something tells me that won’t be necessary,” she added, kissing him on the cheek.

“I think you may be right,” he said, finally, sighing.

Adrian leaned his head against her shoulder again, resting his arm around her waist. Nova settled against him, feeling her own eyelids start to droop shut. Soon, both were fast asleep.


	24. Letting Go

Adrian watched as Nova stared up at where Max’s quarantine once stood. He started to walk towards her but stopped mid-stride, struggling to decide if he should go over to her or stay away. His rational side told him that he should despise her and stay as far away from possible, avoiding physical contact lest she put him to sleep again—not that he thought she’d do it in such a public place. But he also wanted to go over to her and pull her into a hug, telling her that he knew and understood.

Sighing, he shut out the rational part of his mind and went over to her. Adrian came up behind Nova, settling his hands on her waist. She glanced up at him, wearing a melancholy expression. A soft smile flitted across her lips when she caught his gaze. She sighed into his touch, her fingers interlacing with his. Adrian mirrored her smile, forgetting who she truly was for a second.

_No, she’s dangerous_ , whispered the little voice in the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to forget. Couldn't afford another mistake or another misstep involving _her_.

One wrong move and everything would crash down on him.

“Is something wrong?” Adrian asked gently, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head.

“Not really. I—I’m just thinking about Max and...and Nightmare,” she replied, a hint of frustration in her voice.

They both fell silent for a moment.

“I know,” he whispered.

Nova’s body stiffened slightly in his arms. “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice shaking on the last word.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever might happen next. “I know who Nightmare is.”

She pulled out of his hold, turning to face him. “H-how?” Nova took a step back, panic written all over her—from the way her hands were shaking to the fear in her eyes.

“Max told me. Well, at least all that he remembered. He said some of the details were a little cloudy.” Adrian closed the distance between them, reaching for her hands. He felt like he was making a mistake. But there was no going back now. He threw all caution to the wind and went with what he felt was the right thing. For a moment, he even considered telling her he was the Sentinel. “I know, Nova,”—his voice lowered—“I know that you’re Nightmare. And I—”

She clenched her jaw and ripped her hands out of his grip, folding her arms over her chest. Her whole demeanor changed. She looked less fearful and more...bold. “And you're going to turn me in now? Get your ‘justice’?”

“No. It...it’s not like that.” Adrian hesitated. “I want to help you.”  
Nova narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean ‘help’? In case you don't remember, the Renegades don't have a very good track record of helping me. Especially when I need them most.” She paused, gritting her teeth. “ _When I needed them most_.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She stepped closer to him, staring defiantly into his eyes. “And I don't need your help.”

“Nova, please,” Adrian began, bringing his hand up to her cheek. Nova flinched away from his touch, eyes shining with unshed tears. He gently cupped her cheek, mumbling an apology. “Just hear me out.”

She reached for his wrist, wrapping her fingers around it. “I don’t _want_ to ‘hear you out’. Nothing you say will help me, it's best you just leave it alone. Pretend like none of this ever happened.” A single tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek until it hit his fingers, burning his skin. She pulled away from his touch, dropping her hand. “If you want to help me, Adrian, then forget you ever had any feelings for me besides hatred. Forget _me_. It’ll be easier for us both in the long run.” Nova turned and began to walk away from him, but Adrian reached out for her, grasping her shoulder. She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn to face him.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” The instant the words fell from his mouth, he regretted saying anything at all. There was no way he could go through with telling her about the Sentinel when their relationship was as precarious as it was.

She pulled his hand off her shoulder, turning to face him. “What is it?” she asked, his hand still in hers.

Suddenly he was at a loss for words. Every time he tried to speak, he ended stuttering. Finally, he said, “Never mind, I'll tell you later.” He flashed her a smile, though it was a little forced.  
Nova stared at him suspiciously but only nodded. She returned his smile. “Remember what I said.”

“It's not that easy. I can't just switch off my emotions.”

“You'll be better off without me. It's for the best.”

Nova leaned up, standing on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Goodbye, Adrian.” Then she was walking away from him, not looking back once.

This time, Adrian didn't reach out and stop her—though it was tempting. Instead, his hand drifted to his lips, touching where hers had been only seconds ago. A small part of him felt that this would be one of the last times he would see her on the same side of the battlefield.


	25. Blood

Blood filled her vision. It was everywhere. Slowly oozing from the stab wound on her arm. Covering her hands from an attempt to dress his wound. On her face and the ground and her clothes.

No matter where Nova looked, she couldn’t escape it. When she closed her eyes, she was haunted by the ever familiar gunshots and the image of Adrian’s body hitting the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

But the blood wasn’t all hers.

No, most of it was the Sentinel’s.

Most of it was Adrian’s.

In the back of her mind, the horrid scene kept replaying. Nova spotting the Sentinel. Pulling out her gun and taking aim at him. Preparing to pull the trigger. The second she pulled the trigger, his head turned around to face her. His visor had been up and she could clearly see Adrian’s face. The bullet hit him and he collapsed to the ground. She had dropped her gun to the ground, rushing over to him. He had used his last bit of strength to reach out and pull a knife from her belt, stabbing blindly at her. The stab wound in her arm wasn’t very deep, but it still hurt like hell. But she was able to block out the pain and focus on him. It was then that her hood fell and she threw aside her mask, falling to the ground beside Adrian. Whispering his name over and over again. Mumbling apology after apology. Pressing a hand to his wound in futile attempts to stop the bleeding. Screaming for help that, deep down, Nova knew would never come.

In any other circumstance, she would have despised him for being the Sentinel. But now, Adrian was dying and it was _her_ fault. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.

Now, Adrian lay on his side before her, bleeding out from the bullet wound. He was still wearing the Sentinel’s armor, the visor still up. The sun was setting over Gatlon, but the fighting had yet to cease. Although that was the least of Nova’s worries at the moment. Right now, she was more concerned with stopping Adrian’s bleeding.

Nova’s head ached. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. She placed a hand to his wound in another attempt to staunch the bleeding, though it proved ineffective. Soon her hands were covered in even more of his blood than before. She knew her attempts were useless, but she was still clinging onto the little bit of hope that he would make it through this.

He groaned in pain, reaching out for her. Adrian’s hand found her arm and squeezed, though there was little strength behind it. Nonetheless, Nova’s arm still ached where she had been stabbed by him just moments before. But she ignored the pain and focused on trying to stop his bleeding.

“I’m so sorry,” Nova whispered, kneeling beside him. She cradled his head in her lap. The pain in her arm was getting worse and the blood was beginning to seep through the fabric of her sleeve, though that was the least of her worries. “I never would have shot him if I’d known it was you.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving little trails in the grime that covered her cheeks. She pressed her forehead to Adrian’s, sobbing.

“Nova,” he said, his voice barely more than a breath. His hand reached up, fingers brushing against her hair before falling back to his side. Adrian’s breathing was becoming shallower, his blood pooling beneath them.

“Adrian, don’t leave me. I—I love you.” She found his hand, squeezing it. “You can’t go. Not yet. _Not yet_ ,” she wept. Nova lifted her head, looking into his eyes one last time.

His brown eyes were devoid of their usual life as she gazed upon them. They were clouded over, shining with tears.

“Love you, too.” Adrian squeezed her hand weakly, eyes shut in pain.

Nova watched as his breathing slowed and his grip on her hand slipped.

“No, no, no!” she screamed.

Nova scrambled to grab his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, barely there, then...

Nothing.

She dropped his wrist.

Sobs wracked her body as she leaned over him, resting her head against his chest. The metal of his suit was cold against her cheek, and it was sticky with blood.

Nova started to mumble apologies again, but they soon turned to screams of “I’m sorry” and “I love you” and “Why did you have to go, don’t leave me.”

Nova remained by Adrian’s body on the bloodied battlefield for hours, sobbing into his chest and whimpering about how unfair it was for him to have died when should it have been her. If it wasn’t for her, he would have still been alive and breathing. And maybe, just maybe, they could have found a way to be happy together, to put their secret identities past them. But now they couldn’t because Adrian was dead and Nova had no idea what was going to happen to her now.

_Adrian was dead and it was all her fault..._


	26. Wounds

The security system beeped loudly, announcing the presence of a Renegade at their door. It was late out and odd for someone to be showing up at this hour.

“Adrian,” Hugh called from the other side of the kitchen, “can you get the door?”

Adrian nodded and got up from his seat at the counter, heading into the entryway. He opened the front door, surprised to find Nova leaning on the other side. She stood on his doorstep, shivering and covered in scratches, bruises, and blood.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his words coming out in a rush. “What happened?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said softly, her gaze falling to the ground.

He opened the door wider and stepped aside, inviting her in. Limping, she followed him in and made it a few feet inside before whispering, “Adrian,” and grasping for his shoulder. He turned just in time to see Nova start to fall and barely managed to catch her.

Helping her stand upright, he led her into the kitchen. She stumbled beside him and sunk onto one of the barstools, slumping against the counter. Her features were contorted in pain as she pressed a hand to her side. His gaze fell to her hand and he noticed that her shirt was dark with blood.

Hugh and Simon spun around, gasping. Simon rushed over to her, eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?” asked Simon, taking in the scratches and bruises that covered her arms. He turned to Adrian. “There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom, her wounds need to be cleaned.”

Adrian nodded. “Do you think you can walk? It’s not that far,” said Adrian.

“Yes,” said Nova, so quietly he barely heard her.

He helped her stand up and led her to the bathroom down the hall, following her in.

She hopped up onto the sink counter. He rummaged through the cabinet and eventually found the first aid kit, setting in on the counter beside Nova.

Adrian disinfected the scratches on her arms and face first, asking permission before cutting away the fabric of her pants to clean those wounds. She grimaced when he started to clean one of the particularly deep cuts.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Here, let me...” he trailed off and pulled out his marker, drawing a series of stitches on the deeper wounds. Glancing up at her, he detected a faint blush on her cheeks.

He also cleaned the wound just below her ribs, drawing stitches over it.

When he was completely finished, he stood up and put away the kit. He also drew her a new t-shirt and pair of pants, for her current ones were ripped up and soiled.

“Thanks,” Nova mumbled, sliding off the counter. She accepted the clothes and he left the bathroom.

Adrian waited out in the hallway while she changed. She came out a few minutes later and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Adrian said, smiling nervously. “I can drive you home afterward. I’m sure your uncle is worried about you.”

Nova flinched. “I...I can’t go home.”

“Why?” He paused. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Besides, it—it’s a long story.”

“Do you want to stay here for the night? I can set up one of the guest rooms for you—if you’d like.”

“Are you sure? I really don't want to impose on you.”

“You're always welcome here, Nova.”

“Thank you, Adrian.” She hesitated. “For everything.”

“Of course,” he murmured, stepping closer to her. He brought a hand and cupped her cheek, leaning down. She stood up on her tiptoes, mere inches from meeting his lips when someone cleared their throat at the end of the hallway. They jumped apart, turning to find Hugh staring at them.

“Dinner’s ready,” Hugh said awkwardly, gaze darting between them. “Are you staying, Nova?”

“Yes,” she answered, cheeks flaming.

Hugh nodded and headed back towards the kitchen. Nova and Adrian shared a look before following after him.

Dinner passed in mostly awkward silence. Adrian informed his dads that Nova was staying over for the night. Hugh took on a panicked expression but was quick to mask it. Simon smiled and told her that she was allowed to stay as long as she wants.

After dinner, Nova followed Adrian upstairs. He grabbed a set of sheets from the linen closet and opened one of the many doors that lined the hallway. The air was stale in the bedroom, and he couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually used this room—probably back when the mayor’s family still lived in the home. He helped her make the bed and get settled.

“Goodnight,” Adrian said, walking towards the door.

“Wait,” Nova whispered. He turned around to face her. “Can you stay with me?”

“Hold on, I’ll be back up in a few minutes. Do you want the headphones?”

She shook her head, a small smile spreading on her lips. He left, going down to the basement to change into pajamas. On his way back up, he passed by Hugh, who gave him a funny stare.

He climbed into bed beside Nova, careful to not hit any of her wounds. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck, her hair brushing against his jaw. He gently wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Thank you, Adrian,” she whispered, her words slurring as she started to drift off. He barely registered her words, drifting off himself. It wasn’t long until both were fast asleep.


	27. Surprise

Nova rested her head against Adrian’s chest, mindlessly tracing the tattoos on his arm. She yawned and her eyes started to droop shut.

“I think we should take a trip back to Gatlon soon. Danna will be in town and it’d be nice to catch up with our friends,” Adrian said, running a hand through her hair.

Nova and Adrian had moved in together around three years ago, having been dating for six at the time. In the two years of their relationship leading up to it, they had spent so much time staying over at each other’s apartment, they practically lived together. So it had seemed natural for them to move in together, to a small town on the outskirts of Gatlon, hoping to escape all of the bad memories they associated with the city.

Over the years, Nova started to go to trauma counseling. Coupled with spending every night with Adrian, she slowly started to develop a sleep schedule. Though she still didn’t need to sleep, she liked falling asleep in his arms every night and waking up beside him every morning. It also added a sort of normalcy to her life she'd never really had before.

“We could go just for the weekend,” he continued. “Leave early tomorrow morning, stay the night at my dads' house and leave on Sunday. Besides, it’ll be good for Georgia to spend some time with her grandfathers. And—”

A shrill cry came from the room across from theirs, interrupting him.

“I’ll go get her,” he said.

Adrian kissed the top of Nova’s head and slipped out of bed, leaving the room. While he was gone, she mulled over the trip. It would be nice to get away for the weekend, and it would be good for Georgia to spend some time with Hugh and Simon for had it been a while since they last saw her.

About two years into them living together, Hugh and Simon had told Adrian of a four-month-old baby who had been abandoned by her family. They suspected she was a prodigy—which would explain why the family had left her in Renegades custody—but she had yet to show any signs of having an ability. After talking about it, Nova and Adrian agreed to take her in, offering to care for her as long as needed. The baby, despite her situation, was almost always smiling or giggling, so they named her Georgia after Adrian’s mother, Lady Indomitable, who had had the same infectious grin. About six months into caring for her, Nova and Adrian had fallen utterly in love with her and started to discuss adoption. Now, she’d officially been theirs for almost four months.

Adrian came back in a few minutes later, carrying a half-asleep Georgia on his hip. Nova sat up and he handed Georgia to her, before climbing back into bed. Georgia mumbled a sleepy, “Mamma,” as Nova settled her between herself and Adrian. This happened about once a week, though it was starting to become less frequent. They discovered early on that Georgia always calmed down whenever one of them picked her up, but the second she was laid back down, she'd start crying again. So whenever this happened, they'd bring her into their room and let her sleep between them. Neither Nova nor Adrian minded, though.

He kissed Georgia’s forehead, who had already fallen asleep.

“So, what do you say? Should we go?” he whispered, peering at Nova over Georgia’s mess of curls.

Nova nodded, stroking Georgia’s hair. “I think we should.”

They both fell silent. Georgia reached out and her little hands gripped onto Adrian’s arm. A small smile flitted across Nova's lips.

“I love you,” Nova finally murmured, glancing up at Adrian.

He grinned sleepily. “I love you, too.”

 

Georgia giggled as Nova bounced her on her hip. Adrian set a hand on Nova’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple. She was about to knock again when Simon opened the door. He beamed at them and ushered them inside.

Nova, Adrian, and Georgia shed their jackets, leaving them in the entryway.

Simon pulled Nova into an embrace before hugging Adrian, Hugh a few steps behind him. Hugh hugged them too, then led Adrian upstairs to show him their guest room and for Adrian to drop off their overnight bag.

Georgia leaned away from Nova, hands reaching out towards Simon. Nova let out a small laugh and handed Georgia to him.

He led Nova into the living room, sitting on the couch beside her. Georgia sat on his knee, smiling brightly.

“Where’s Max?” Nova asked, glancing around the room.

Eight years ago, a device similar to the vitality charm had been made that allowed prodigies to be around Max without the risk of their powers being drained. Once it was definitively proven that it worked, he moved in with Hugh and Simon.

“In his room. He should be down in a few minutes, though.”

Nova was about to say more when Georgia let out a squeal. She looked up and saw Adrian and Hugh entering the room. Max was a few steps behind them.

Adrian sat down next to Nova, kissing her cheek. Georgia started to giggle and she attempted to crawl her way towards Nova and Adrian. Nova picked her up and settled Georgia in her lap, mussing with her curls. Adrian smiled, outstretching his hand towards Georgia. Her small hand wrapped around his fingers.

“We’re supposed to meet Ruby, Oscar, and Danna in less than half an hour,” Adrian said, glancing up. He looked at Hugh and Simon. “But we’ll be here for dinner.”

Simon and Hugh nodded. They talked for a few more minutes before Adrian got up to get one of Georgia's toys from their bag upstairs. He came back downstairs a few minutes later, carrying her favorite stuffed animal. It was a teddy bear he had drawn her when they first took her in, and she had taken an instant liking to it. She carried it with her more often than naught.

Georgia accepted the stuffed bear from him and hugged it to her chest.

Adrian stood up and picked Georgia up out of Nova’s lap. Nova followed him. They said goodbye to everyone before going to put on their jackets.

The air was crisp when they stepped outside, a light breeze blowing. The cafe they were meeting Oscar, Ruby, and Danna was only a few blocks away so they opted to walk.

 

Nova was seated between Adrian and Danna, Oscar and Ruby sat across from them with their four-year-old daughter, Opal, sat beside them. Georgia was snuggled in Adrian’s lap.

After Nova had been revealed as Nightmare, her relationship with her team had suffered. In the months following, Adrian and Danna had been the first to make amends. After a year of rebuilding their relationship, Nova and Adrian started dating again. Danna and Nova grew close too. Oscar and Ruby soon reached out and they slowly patched their relationship with Nova. They became even closer then they were before the reveal, though they never shared what Nova had with Danna or Adrian.

Of the group, Oscar and Ruby were the only ones that still resided in Gatlon. Danna, like Nova and Adrian, had moved away from Gatlon because of all the horrible memories she had with it. She now lived in another city, a little less than a day’s drive from Gatlon.

Adrian reached for Nova’s hand under the table, lacing their fingers together.

Georgia started to giggle as Opal made silly faces at her. She tried her best to mimic Opal's expressions.

They spent lunch catching up. Danna shared her plan to propose to her girlfriend, Thalia. The topic of engagement had seemed to have made Adrian a little uncomfortable, but Nova brushed it off as nothing. Ruby and Oscar announced that she was expecting again, at which everyone congratulated them.

Nova felt exhausted by the end of lunch. When she and Adrian got back to his dads’ house, she put Georgia down for a nap. It wasn’t long until Nova was napping beside her. Adrian woke them both up three hours later, telling them dinner would be ready in the next hour.

After dinner, Adrian told Nova that he wanted to show her something. So they put on their coats and slipped outside, though she had no idea where they were going.

“Where are we going?” Nova asked, grabbing his hand.

The sun was starting to set and the streetlights had already turned on.

“You’ll find out in a few minutes,” Adrian said, grinning.

She sighed.

After walking a few blocks, Nova soon found herself staring at the entrance to City Park.

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Are we even allowed to be here this late?” 

“There’s no sign saying we _can’t_.” He flashed her another grin before entering the park.

She rolled her eyes and followed after him.

Adrian led her to the statue glen, the moonlight guiding them. A strange feeling flooded through Nova as she followed him down the steps. It had been years since she’d last been here, yet it felt like barely any time had passed at all. The glen had barely changed since the last time she saw it.

“What are we doing here?” Nova said, looking up at Adrian. She studied his profile, his features illuminated by the moonlight.

“Stargazing,” he whispered. He sat down on the bench that faced the statue. She sat beside him, reaching for his hand again. “I remember you mentioned years ago that you used to map out constellations, so I guessed—”

Nova cut him off with a kiss. He smiled against her lips before kissing her back.

A cool breeze cut through the glen, causing Nova to pull away shivering. She moved closer to Adrian, hoping to gain some of his warmth. He wrapped his arms around her, her back to his chest and head resting against his shoulder.

“But that’s not the only reason,” he said, so quietly she almost hadn’t heard. Adrian pulled away from her and reached into his jacket, pulling out a small box.

Nova gasped. “Adrian, is that a...an...” She struggled to form a coherent sentence, her mind racing.

She and Adrian had discussed engagement before, but it was still a shock to her. They had long ago decided that should they get married, it would be in a courthouse for neither wanted a wedding.

“Nova Artino, will you marry me?”

She turned her body to face him, still struggling to make words form. “Yes,” she finally managed to say, barely coming out louder than a whisper. She repeated it a little louder this time, pulling him into an embrace.

Adrian returned her embrace, whispering, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she murmured, pulling away from him and placing a small kiss to his lips.

He opened the box and pulled the ring out, reaching her hand to slide the ring onto her finger. It was just a simple band with a crescent moon on it, but it was perfect for her.

They remained at the park for no more than ten minutes, until it got too cold for them and they decided to head back.

When they got back at the house, Hugh and Simon were in the living room waiting. An asleep Georgia was in Simon’s arms, though Hugh didn’t look like he’d be awake for much longer either.

Adrian thanked them for watching Georgia while they were gone, and Nova tried to pick Georgia up without waking her. Georgia stirred a little, though she remained asleep.

Adrian and Nova retreated upstairs to their room, Nova setting Georgia gently down on the bed. They both got ready for bed as quickly as possible, both feeling exhausted. Nova pulled off the ring and handed it to Adrian for him to put it back into the box.

Yawning, she climbed into bed beside Georgia. Adrian followed a few seconds after her.

“I love you, Nova” Adrian whispered.

She smiled. “I love you, too.”


	28. Comfort

Nova stumbled out of the elevator after her team, following them into the lounge. Oscar and Ruby rushed over to one of the gaming tables—as usual—while Adrian and Danna walked to one of the vending machines. Nova trailed after them, dragging her feet. Despite not needing sleep, she felt exhausted.

She stumbled a little and just barely managed to catch herself before she fell into Adrian. He turned around, reaching out to steady her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, worry evident in his expression.

Nova hesitated before nodding. “I...I’m just feeling a little worn out. I think I might go lie down in one of the private rooms for a bit.”

His hands fell from her shoulder. Leaning down, he cupped her cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been... _off_ lately. You seem more on edge, like worse than usual.”

She was silent for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. Nova wished she could just tell him about the Anarchists and Ace being in jail. Tell him about being Nightmare and the stress of the inevitable reveal that loomed in the distance. But she couldn’t. Not so long as she was parading around as a Renegade, pretending her name was Nova McLain.

“My—my uncle,” she said finally, stammering. “His health seems to be getting worse and worse every day. He’s starting to really worry me.” At least it wasn’t a _complete_ lie, but it wasn’t entirely true either.

Adrian nodded, dropping his hand. He straightened and offered her a sympathetic smile. “I hope he feels better soon, Nova.”

“Thank you,” whispered Nova, tears forming in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. Slowly, she backed away from him and turned, heading into one the private rooms.

Nova shut the door, glancing around the room. Already her tears threatened to spill. She ambled over to the cot, collapsing on it.

Above the bed hung a poster that looked like it was from an old comic book. On it, a woman was being carried by a superhero. Above her head was a speech bubble with large text that said, “I’d know you come! You _always_ come!”

No matter where Nova looked, the bright colors and bold words taunted her. The phrase repeated over and over in her head, to the point where she felt like she was going mad. Finally, the tears overtook her and she buried her face in the pillow. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her whole body was shaking as she remembered her family and the Renegades who had failed to keep their promise. How they _didn’t come_.

Soon, her silent tears turned to sobs. Nova let all of the emotions she’d been holding in for years out. Crying about her family and the Anarchists and everything else that was going wrong in her life. Nobody was here to see her and she was free to shed as many tears as she needed without judgment. The Anarchists had taught her to bury all her emotions, saying they got in the way of important goals, so it felt like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Nova wasn’t sure how long she’d been in there when a knock sounded at the door.

At first, she ignored it, wishing she had bothered to lock the door. Then the knock came again, a little louder this time, accompanied with Adrian’s voice.

“Nova, are you okay?” he called from outside, a small bit of panic seeping through.

She sat up and sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her wrist.

“No,” she answered, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She wasn’t even sure if he had been able to hear it.

“Do you want me to come in? I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”

Nova considered his offer for a few seconds, drawing her knees to her chest. The bright poster mocked her from the corner of her eye and was nearly enough to send her into another fit. She eventually managed to muster up the courage to tell him to come him. Her gaze was trained on the floor, vision blurred with tears.

Adrian gradually opened the door, poking his head inside before entering and closing the door behind him. He rushed over to her, taking a seat on the edge of the cot.

Nova slowly blinked away the tears, her gaze resting on Adrian. His brow was furrowed in concern, his eyes searching hers.

Adrian reached for one of her hands, squeezing it.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently, reaching up with his other hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He dropped his hand, fingers brushing against her cheek.

She shook her head, losing her composure once more. Nova leaned forward, burying her forehead in his shoulder as her tears started to spill again.

Adrian went still for a second before wrapping his arms around her. He held Nova tightly as she cried into his chest.

As her tears started to slow, she thought back to when she was six and Ace had tried to comfort while she cried over her family. The mere thought of her uncle brought on another torrent of tears and she buried her face closer to Adrian’s chest. His arms tightened around her and he placed a kiss against the top of her head, whispering something that she couldn’t quite hear.

Nova finally pulled away minutes later, avoiding his gaze. He loosened his arms.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, worriedly.

She shook her head. “No, but there’s not much I can do about it. Not without making it worse,” she said, simply.

“What do you mean?” 

“I can’t talk about it right now. It...it’s complicated.”

He nodded. “I understand. But, Nova, you know you can talk to me if you ever need anything. I really care about you and—”

“Adrian, _please_ stop talking and just hold me. That’s all I need right now.”

Adrian smiled softly and pulled her into an embrace, which she returned. Nova allowed herself to get caught up in the feeling of having his arms around her and the faint scent of pine. Nova buried all of her worries, mirroring his smile. For a moment, it was just her and Adrian Everhart, no concern of secret identities.


	29. Day of Triumph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is meant to be about nova’s time during the battle for gatlon, which was detailed on pages 137-138 of Renegades.

Gatlon was on fire. The whole city was set ablaze with bombs and gunfire. Entire streets burned to the ground, bombs blowing off every couple of seconds, detonating every building in the city that hadn’t already been destroyed.

At least that’s what Nova’s imagination conjured up, thinking the worst, for she was trapped underground in the catacombs and unable to see the battle raging above. Theoretically, she could leave anytime she wanted. But her Uncle Ace had instructed her to stay down here until he or one of the others told her it was safe to come out, and she didn’t want to disobey him.

Nova jumped up onto one of the many tombs that littered the basement of the cathedral, her small feet dangling a few feet from the ground. She kicked her feet back and forth, ankles thumping against the side of the stone coffin and sending loud thuds that echoed throughout the catacombs. She had only been down here for less than an hour, and already boredom and fear had set in.

Bones littered the ground, coffins everywhere. Some were closed while others lay open. Normally, Nova found the catacombs to be eerie and avoided them at all costs, but she was far too worried about the battle to be concerned about ghosts and things that go bump in the night. The tunnels were dank and musty, the air so thick Nova had struggled to breathe the moment she’d stepped in. It was pitch black down there and she only had a little flashlight that she had brought with her, though she tried to only use it when she needed it, wanting it to last for as long as possible. After all, she had no idea how long she’d be down here.

Nova had no way of tracking time and had no idea how long she’d been hiding. It could have been mere hours or days. Either way, she didn’t care. It felt like she’d been down here for _ages_ and her stomach was already rumbling with hunger—though that was the least of her concerns.

The cathedral shook as another bomb was set off nearby. She waited with bated breath for the shaking to stop, feeling as though the walls around her might collapse. It wasn’t too far of a stretch, the cathedral was hundreds of years old and the upper levels were already starting to crumble away.

There was another sharp cry from nearby, sounding as if it had come from a small child. Nova started to think of Evie and her parents. Her mind started to wander away from the battle, pretending her parents were with her. In her head, they were still in their little apartment, all hiding away in her parents’ bedroom. Evie lay in Nova’s arms, having just been put to sleep, and Nova was snuggled between her parents, both trying desperately to keep Nova’s mind off the battle outside, all the while they exchanged worried glances and hushed conversations about whether they should leave.

A loud gunshot cracked through the air followed by a shrill scream that was louder than all the rest. The sound sent a chill down Nova’s spine and dragged her back to the present. The vision of the apartment disappeared and she was back in the dark catacombs once more. She shivered and pulled her knees to her chest, turning on the flashlight. 

After a few minutes, she set the flashlight beside her on the coffin and hopped off it. She started making shadow puppets, trying to recreate the ones Winston had shown her just days prior. No matter how she moved her hands, they never looked quite right and she eventually gave up, climbing back on top of the coffin and turning the flashlight off.

Darkness engulfed once again and she was left with only her thoughts and the horrifying sounds of the fighting above. The yells, explosions, and gunshots seemed to be getting closer.

The walls shook even harder than before as she heard the sound of a nearby building collapsing under an explosion. A layer of dust settled over everything. Nova coughed and pulled the neck of her shirt over her nose, desperate for fresh air.

Fear coursed through her as the trembling of the cathedral became ever constant. Nova took slow steady breaths, whispering, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. Everything will be over soon,” over and over again until she started to believe it.

Hours passed and everything was starting to blur together, the yells and sounds of the battle started to die down. Soon, the only sound she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the occasional rustle of a rodent that had taken up residence in a neighboring tomb. At one point, the cathedral had stopped thundering and she trusted the ground enough to stand up.

A buzzing interrupted the silence. Nova flicked on the flashlight, darting it around the room until it landed on a small swarm of bees. At first, she panicked, then remembered the Queen Bee. Hope seized in her chest, and, for the first time in hours, maybe even days, a small smile flitted across her lips.

Nova trained her flashlight on the entrance to the catacombs, waiting impatiently for Honey to come. It had been hours since Nova last saw a human being and she longed for the presence of another, having spent too much time alone in the dark with long-dead skeletons and anything else that lurked in the shadows of the catacombs.

 

The clack of Honey’s heels echoed throughout the sublevel of the cathedral as she made her way down the steps, rushing to get to Ace’s niece and her precious bees.

She found the child waiting by the entrance, wide eyes staring hopefully up at Honey. Nova started to her open her mouth but Honey shook her head, far too distressed to deal with whatever it was the child had to say. After all, they had just lost their leader and all felt hopeless.

“Come on, darling. We must be quick now,” Honey whispered, grabbing onto Nova’s arm and dragging her down a long hall until she came upon the hidden entrance to the tunnel. Honey went in first, holding onto Nova’s hand. They were hit with stale, musty air. It was even worse than the catacombs had been. Still, Honey pressed on, remembering the promise she and Leroy had made to Ace moments before he died.

_Protect my niece at all costs, she’ll be valuable to our cause._

Those had been his last words to them before charging towards the Renegades. Honey tried her best to block out the rest of the memory, wishing to forget the horrible scene.

The tunnel narrowed, it soon came to the point that Honey had to turn sideways in order to fit through, and still it was a tight squeeze. She could barely see what was in front of her, only having the dim light of Nova’s flashlight to guide her.

After what felt like ages of walking and trying to make herself as small as possible in order to squeeze through the impossibly small passages, Honey and Nova eventually reached the end of the tunnel.

The deserted Blackmire station lay on the other side, free for the taking. Long abandoned train cars littered the tracks. Honey’s lip curled in disgust at the thought of having to stay in one of them.

They took only a few steps when Nova said two simple words that were almost enough to throw Honey into a fit.

“What happened?” Nova asked, her curious eyes darting around the subway station as she shone her flashlight all over the room.

Honey choked back a sob and managed to whisper only three words in return. “The Renegades won.”


	30. The Fall of the Council

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a kind of what-if scenario of the first couple chapters of renegades.

_Captain Chromium was dead._

The Council was finally dead. Not a single one of them remained.

It would be a matter of time now before the Anarchists got what they wanted and for Gatlon to return to anarchy.

_She had pulled the trigger._

**Minutes prior...**

The trigger pressed into Nova’s finger.

She took aim at Captain Chromium, anger and adrenaline pumping through her veins. A butterfly landed on her scope, momentarily distracting her. She shook herself, the ever-constant reminder that she only had one chance playing in the back of her mind.

Captain Chromium turned his head skyward, and, for a second, it felt like he was looking _directly_ at her.

Nova took aim again, finding her target in the scope. She let out a shaky breath and pulled the trigger.

The dart hit him in the corner of the eye, barely hitting the target.

Captain Chromium flinched, hand going up to the dart. It would no use for him to remove it, the poison was already entering his system—and Nova sensed he knew that. His hand stilled in midair. Eyes rolled back in his head. He collapsed, the pike with Ace’s helmet falling out of his hand and rolling into the shrieking crowd.

The loud cheers of the crowd turned into terrified shrieks as people ran from the scene.

The Dread Warden cried out, “Hugh!” and stumbled towards the Captain’s body, kneeling beside him. Even from Nova’s vantage point, she could see tears streaming down the Dread Warden’s cheeks. But that was all he had to time do before Ingrid started hitting the float with her bombs.

The Dread Warden, Tsunami, and Blacklight. All dead. 

Ingrid whooped shrilly into the earpiece, congratulating Nova.

She watched from the rooftop as Ingrid hit the Council’s parade float with her bombs.

But Thunderbird had been able to escape in time, flying above the float. Knowing this is where Phobia would come in, Nova took this as her opportunity to leave before any Renegade tried to stop her.

By now, almost all of the citizens had run away. And any stragglers left were scurrying away as quickly as they could.

“Nightmare, we need you down here,” Ingrid said through the earpiece.

“Roger,” Nova replied, her voice quavering.

Nova stood up on wobbly legs, her entire body shaking. The realization of what she did started to really set in.

She had pulled the trigger.

She couldn’t believe she actually _pulled the trigger._

This wasn’t how Nova expected her first kill to be. She’d expected to be proud. Instead, she felt almost sad. Almost felt bad for killing for him.

But then she remembered what he did to her family. Any ounce of remorse she held for him disappeared and was replaced with anger. She was glad he was dead. She’d finally gotten her revenge, after ten long, lonely years. Sure, she’d had Ace and the Anarchists, but it just wasn’t the same. It was always on the coldest and darkest nights that she longed to be held by her parents and to hold Evie just one more time.

Nova took a few deep breaths before placing her rifle in it and slung the bag over her shoulder Glancing around, she started planning out the best route of escape.

She scaled a fire escape, looking around nervously every few seconds. Her feet hit the ground with a soft thump, then she dashed out of the alleyway, glancing down the street. Ingrid had moved on from the parade float—all of the members already dead—though Phobia was still torturing Thunderbird with snakes.

Nova made eye contact with Ingrid.

Ingrid loaded her gun and raised. Took aim at Thunderbird. Fired.

Blood arced across the street and the wall of a building. Thunderbird fell from the sky with a mighty scream, landing on the ground with a thud. Her body shuddered as she took in her final breaths.

Nova had to look away, unable to watch as blood pooled beneath Thunderbird’s body.

Visions of her parents’ bodies flooded her vision. Suddenly, she was six-years-old again. Alone and terrified. Not a single soul in the world to protect her. Blood was splattered on her face and hair and hands and clothes. It was everywhere and no matter where she looked, she couldn’t escape it.

As Nova ran through the small apartment to escape the hitman, she passed a sleeping Evie who was soon replaced with a screaming baby who cried as the hitman held her up and pointed the gun at her head.

Nova let out a shrill scream, hands going to her ears and breaths coming out in short bursts. She started to back away from the scene, desperately wanting to escape it.

The vision faded and the chaos of reality settled back around her.

_Bang._

She pulled the trigger.

_Bang._

Captain Chromium was dead and it was all because of her.

_Bang._

Her vision blurred and tears started to stream down her cheeks.

Someone shouted her name. Hands landed on her shoulder, shaking her.

It took a few seconds, but Nova eventually snapped out of it.

Ingrid stood in front of her, eyes wild and covered in blood. Though Nova doubted any of it belonged to her.

“Snap out of it,” Ingrid said harshly. “We need you to focus now—in case any Renegades decide to stage an attack.” She glanced around nervously and leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “You need to head back to the tunnels and notify the other Anarchists of the success of our mission. Phobia and I won’t be far behind you, but there are... _matters_ for us to attend to before we go back.”

Nova nodded, words feeling thick in her mouth. She didn’t trust herself to say anything.

Ingrid dropped her hands. “Go,” she whispered. Then a wide grin spread across her face and she turned back to Phobia.

A thick sense of dread filled Nova’s stomach but she did as she was told and started the journey back to the tunnels. The whole way back, she kept to the shadows, paranoid. Always glancing around every few seconds to make sure no one was following her.

“I pulled the trigger,” she whispered to herself as she neared the entrance to the tunnels.

Nova found Honey first, who was sitting in her room at her vanity, admiring herself in the mirror. She didn’t notice Nova standing in the doorway until Nova said, “The Council’s dead.”

Nova didn’t stick around to see Honey’s reaction, running to Leroy’s and Winston’s cars to tell them the news. She didn’t stay to see either of their reactions, instead sprinting to her own car and breaking down. Muttering, “I pulled the trigger,” over and over again, all the while wondering where that courage had been ten years ago when her baby sister’s life had been on the line.

_Captain Chromium was dead._

_She had pulled the trigger._


	31. Monster

Anger blazed in Adrian’s eyes. He stood in front of Nova, fists clenched at his side. She wanted to shrink away, to hide. Never before had she seen him so mad.

Nova waited with bated breath, terrified of what was next to come. The handcuffs on her wrists were biting into her skin and she wished to be free of them. But it didn’t look like that’d happen any time soon.

Her hood fell back, and he leaned forward, ripping the mask off her face. The sound of metal hitting tile reverberated throughout the lobby as he dropped the mask. The sound sent chills up her spine.

Shock mixed with the anger in his expression. Gasps emerged from the crowd, everyone’s expression a mixture of horror and surprise. Nova wanted nothing more than to cower away from their judgemental stares.

“Nova? You...you’re Nightmare?” he stammered, his voice cracking on the last syllable.

Nova nodded slowly. “I—I’m Nightmare,” she said, her voice barely above a breath. It was all she was able to say, struggling to find her voice. In truth, Nova wanted to scream out that she was Nightmare, and she was tired of hiding. But every time she tried to speak, her voice warbled and her words fell flat. Eventually, she gave up trying.

Slowly, he leaned down and picked up her mask off the ground, acting as if he hadn’t just been the one to remove it. He held it in front of him, staring at it with a look of disbelief and what may have been horror.

Oscar and Ruby moved to the front of the crowd, watching the scene unfold, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

The Council had ordered for her presence to be kept secret and for her to be taken straight to a temporary holding cell—mainly Adrian's dads not wanting him to know Nightmare was in their custody. But when they brought her in, Adrian and his team, minus Danna, had just stepped off the elevator. Word spread fast and soon a crowd started to accumulate around them.

A dozen different apologies and explanations sprung to the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say any of them aloud. Nova tried desperately to make words form. To scream. To say anything at all. But, still, nothing came out.

Adrian huffed and turned on his heel, still gripping the mask in his fist. He disappeared into the crowd, not once looking over his shoulder at her.

“I’m sorry,” she finally managed to say, her voice coming out no louder than a whisper. The sound was drowned out by the chatter of the crowd that had started up again.

Nova did a quick sweep of the room. She spotted Oscar and Ruby still standing on the edge of the crowd and her gaze lingered over them for a few seconds. They seemed to notice her staring as they shook their heads, glaring, before disappearing in the crowd after Adrian.

Nova tried to shake them off, telling herself that it didn't bother her.

But it _did_.

No matter how much she didn't want it to. They were the closest things she had to real friends. When she first joined the Renegades, Nova had never expected to make friendships or grow close to any of them. But the longer she spent in their ranks, the closer she grew to them. It had been naïve of her to think she could get by without forming an emotional connection.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Nova whispered, her voice hoarse. It felt like everyone was staring at and talking about her. Soon the feeling became overwhelming and she dropped her gaze to her feet, trying to block everything out.

The world around her blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Which she vainly tried to blink away but to no avail. All noise turned to static. Distantly, she could hear someone yelling for everyone to return to what they were doing before, trying to clear a path to the elevator. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead as she was pushed towards the elevator. Nova was loaded onto the elevator and taken to the floor that held the cells. The guard led her out, taking her to a cell. She didn’t say anything as they locked her in. They told her that someone should be up soon to take her in for interrogation.

Nova leaned against the wall, defeated. She sunk to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

An hour passed, and another. Still, nobody came. She shrank even closer to the wall, wishing to disappear.

Nova wasn’t sure how long she’d been in there when someone cleared their throat from the outside of her cell. She slowly lifted her head, shocked to find Adrian standing there.

Adrian awkwardly glanced around before taking a small step closer. Something about him seemed calmer, like his anger from earlier had disappeared.

Nova held her breath, trying to prepare herself for whatever it was he about to say.

 

_I’m Nightmare_.

Those two simple words kept replaying over and over in his head.

Except they _weren’t_ simple.

They were some of the worst words he’d ever heard in his life. Up there with receiving the news of his mother’s death, and when the doctors telling his fathers they weren’t sure if Max would make a full recovery.

Tears pricked his eyes as he glanced one last time at her. Nova was huddled in the corner of the cell, arms wrapped around her legs, head resting on her knees. She looked so much smaller than usual.

So defeated.

So alone.

Part of him longed to reach out to her and tell her everything would be okay. That he understood. After all, she wasn’t the only one with a secret identity.

But a small voice in the back of Adrian’s head whispered to him saying that she was his enemy and he should stay far, far away from her.

Though no matter how loud that voice got, he couldn’t bring himself to despise her. In fact, he felt the opposite. Adrian was almost completely sure that he started to _love_ her.

Then came all the memories of how Nightmare had wronged his family. From attempting to assassinate his dad to stabbing Max. Adrian couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that they were the same person.

Nightmare and Nova McLain were too different. While Nova was sarcastic and cold at times, she still had a caring personality deep down. But Nightmare... Nightmare...

“Why did you do that to Max?” Adrian asked, the words falling from his mouth before he had a chance to think them over.

Nova flinched. She was silent a few moments, her gaze on the ground. Finally, she whispered, “I didn’t do it. It was Frostbite.”

Adrian leaned against the wall opposite her cell, brow furrowed. “No, that—that can’t be. Genissa may be a bit mean-spirited at times, but she’d never...she’d never—”

“She wasn’t trying to hit Max. She was trying to hit me.” Nova’s voice was filled venom as she said this, a flurry of anger passing over her features.

“Are you sure?” He paused, uncertainty clouding his thoughts. “How do I know you’re not lying?

“Do you really think I’d hurt Max? Is that what you think of me?” She looked up at him, her expression pained. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly blinked before any more could fall. “That I’m just some ruthless killing machine?” Soon anger overtook her once again. “Well, I have news for you, Everhart. I’m only the way I am because your dad failed to deliver on a promise he made to my father.”

“Nova, I—”

“Don’t. I don’t want to talk about it. If you really want to know, why don’t you go ask Captain Chromium about David Artino, _my father_.”

“I— That’s not why I’m here.”

“What are you here for, then? Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage, Adrian?”

Adrian grimaced, though he quickly tried to cover it. Clearing his throat, he began with as steady of a voice as he could manage, “I just want answers. I already asked about Max, but I want to know about my mother.” Nova started to speak, but Adrian continued. “At the parade, Ni— you said ‘One cannot be brave who has no fear’, which was the phrase found on a notecard on my mother’s body.” He hesitated. “Do you know who killed her?”

“No, but I have a question for you now. How do you know that I said that? None of the others were around, only the Sentinel. Unless of course, _you’re_ the Sentinel, which is absurd. There is no way you could have done any of that—” Nova sighed, scrutinizing him. “You’re the Sentinel, aren’t you? Of _course_ you are. Oh, this day just keeps getting worse and worse.”

Adrian nodded, unable to speak. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the flame tattoo. “I gave myself tattoos. One for each power.”

Nova merely nodded, letting out a soft, “Huh.” After a few moments, she said, “Looks like I’m not the only one with a secret identity.”

“But at least I’m doing _good_ with the Sentinel, unlike you,” he said, his blood boiling. “Every time Nightmare pops up, something is destroyed or goes wrong.”

She stood, stepping up to the door of her cell. Setting her hands on the bars, glaring at him. “Might I remind you that the Sentinel burned Danna at the parade, is responsible for Hawthorn’s death, _and_ is on the Council’s most-wanted list. So don’t act like you’re not at fault.”

“I didn’t kill Hawthorn. It was Frostbite’s team. And I didn’t mean to burn Danna, I was aiming...I was aiming for...Nightmare. For you.”

A soft “Oh,” was all Nova said, backing away from the cell door. She backed up to the wall farthest from him, sinking against it. After a few moments, Nova looked up at him and said, “Adrian, just go. I don’t want to see you right now.”

Adrian gulped and waited a few seconds, some strange part of him hoping she’d change her mind. Instead, she only buried her head in her hands, completely ignoring him.

He glanced at her once more before heading towards the elevator, struggling to hold back tears. Still, the scene kept replaying over and over in his head.

“Why’d it have to be her?” he whispered to himself, boarding the elevator. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he made no effort to hide them.


	32. We Raise our Cups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is based on “we raise our cups” from hadestown (which i definitely recommend you listen to before/after reading this).

The Dread Warden’s voice boomed throughout the decimated city, his words filling every corner. Nova sat listening on a rooftop blocks away from where a make-shift podium had been set up in front of what remained of Renegades Headquarters.

Behind him stood the remaining members of the Council, as well her team. A small crowd was gathered in front, a mixture of Renegades and citizens. Nova scanned the group once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of Adrian. But he wasn’t there.

Of course he wasn’t there.

He was dead and Nova knew it, though she’d yet to come to terms with it.

Adrian had been one of the many to die in what the Council was starting to refer to as the Final Battle for Gatlon. His death had been one of the last when an Anarchist had exploded a building as the battle neared an end, killing themself as well many others who had been within a few feet of it.

The battle had raged on for almost a week. Anarchists and other gang members had come out of hiding to fight against the Renegades. Early on, Nova removed herself from either side, doing what she thought was best for the people of Gatlon—which usually ended up benefiting the Renegades. On the last day of the battle, Nova had taken to the shadows, afraid of what would happen to her afterward. Everyone knew she was Nightmare but were far too worried with the fighting to be concerned about her, especially when she showed to be helping their cause. Still, she decided to hide for the meantime, at least until she figured out their stance on her.

The Dread Warden stopped mid-sentence, choking on his words. . He glanced back at Tsunami and Thunderbird, who nodded and whispered something to him. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the crowd and began to speak once more.

“As I was saying, in the past week, almost all of us have lost someone we were close to. Personally, I lost my oldest son...and—and my husband. Fellow Council member, Evander Wade, was also lost in the battle.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Tomorrow will be our day of mourning. But the day after, we’ll start rebuilding Gatlon in honor of those who passed. And we’ll need all the help we can get that, so, if you are able, please volunteer. Every little bit helps.”

He went on to speak of people who had largely helped the Renegades cause, thanking each of them for their service. Nova’s mind started to wander back to Adrian, ignoring the Dread Warden’s speech.

“And there is one more person I would like to thank, Nova McLain, also known as Nova Artino. I’m sure most of you know by now that she was Nightmare, posing as a Renegade. But she did good deeds during the battle, saving quite a few lives. And I believe that, deep down, she was a good person. My son loved her greatly, and for that, I’ll always be indebted.”

Nova held back a sob. The street below her blurred, his words echoing throughout her mind. Bringing her more pain than comfort.

Behind him, Danna leaned towards to Ruby and Oscar and appeared to be whispering to them. Nova quickly snapped her gaze back to the Council, unable to look at her ex-team without her emotions going into overdrive.

“A body was never found,” the Dread Warden continued, “and we have reason to believe that she is still alive. So, Nova, if you’re listening to this, we want you to know that you’re welcome here.” He glanced up at the sky, and for a second, Nova thought he was staring at her. “And we’d love to have your assistance in bettering Gatlon. Wherever you are, we wish you the best.”

Something flashed in the corner of her. Heart fluttering, she turned around quickly. There was a small swarm of monarch butterflies fluttering behind her.

Nova clapped a hand over her mouth in hopes of stifling her sobs. She quickly glanced down at the podium and noticed that Danna wasn’t there.

Within a few moments, more butterflies swarmed around her. They cycloned, wings becoming a blur, before materializing into the shape of a girl.

Danna stepped towards Nova, sitting beside her.

“Danna,” Nova began slowly, not fully trusting her shaky voice, “if you’re here to talk about what happened before the battle, I’m not ready yet. I truly am sorry for my actions but—”

“That’s not what I came to talk about,” Danna said. “I came to check on you. We saw you sitting on the roof, and began to think the worst.” She paused. “Are you okay?”

Nova nodded slowly though she wanted to scream that she wasn’t. In the past week, she lost almost everyone that ever meant anything to her and it was starting to take a toll. No matter how many times she told herself that she was better off without the Anarchists, she’d always think back to how they’d cared for her when she was younger. Though, looking back, she realized they had been grooming her to become the perfect Anarchist. Yet, a small part of her still missed them.

Once the remaining Anarchists had realized they weren’t going to win, they surrendered. All were neutralized on the spot. After that, Nova wasn’t sure what happened to them.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, “No. I’m not okay. This past week has been a lot and I just need to get away from Gatlon. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to stay in the city. There are just...so many bad memories here.”

Danna was silent for a long moment. “Then why don’t you?”

Nova reeled back in surprise. For whatever reason, that had never really crossed her mind. “But I can’t,” she said softly, her voice barely audible above the Dread Warden’s, who was now going over the plans to reconstruct Gatlon.

“What’s tethering you here? I’m sorry, but the Anarchists are all gone and so is Adrian. Plus, you don’t seem too keen on working with the Council. So, answer this for me: Why?”

Nova hesitated. “I—I’m not sure. It’s all I’ve ever known, and I’m scared to leave it behind.” Nova sighed, swiping at her tears. “Besides, I still have you, and Oscar and Ruby—assuming you still want to be around me. Which I completely understand if you don’t—”

“Nova, just calm down. I can’t really speak for Ruby and Oscar, but I’m starting to forgive you.” Danna’s gaze softened. “You should do what’s best for you. And, in my opinion, that’s leaving Gatlon for good. It’s obviously doing you no good to stay here. Besides, we could keep in touch. It’s not like you’d be abandoning us forever.”

Nova nodded slowly, words feeling thick on her tongue. They fell into silence, listening to the speech Thunderbird was giving about how counseling for all who needed it would be made available through the Renegades soon.

But Nova wasn’t listening. Instead, she found her mind wandering to Adrian and her parents, wishing they were with her now.

Finally, Danna spoke again. “They’re going to start wondering where I’m at soon, so I better get going. Do you want to come with me?”

Nova hesitated. While part of her knew it would be a mistake—that it would too much attention—there was a small voice in the back of her mind that said it would be a mistake not to go with Danna. That everything would work out in the end.

Stifling that voice, Nova shook her head. “No.” She took a deep breath, quickly blinking away the oncoming tears. “No, I think I’ll stay here for a while. Then maybe...maybe I’ll take your advice and leave Gatlon for good.” She turned to look at Danna, smiling softly. “Thank you, Danna.”

“For what? I’ve hardly done anything to help you.”

“You’ve done more than you know.”

Danna scrambled to her feet. “Goodbye, Nova,” she murmured.

Nova struggled to find the words, instead waving at her. Danna waved at her before transforming back into a swarm of butterflies and headed towards the crowd.

Nova watched with tears streaming down her cheeks as Danna reformed beside Oscar and Ruby, leaning in close to whisper to them.

Long after the speeches ended and everyone left, Nova remained on the rooftop. She lay on her back, mapping out the ever familiar constellations. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she thought back to the library stake-out, and how Adrian had asked her about her interests. How she longed for more little moments like that, ones she would never share with him again.

There on that rooftop, Nova began to realize that Adrian was the first person in a long time to truly care for her. He loved her and there was no ulterior motive. She longed to be held by him again. To bury her face in his chest and smell the familiar pine scent that she had grown to love. To feel his lips against her skin and his gentle touches. To be held close in his arms and feel like nothing could harm her so long as it was just her and Adrian Everhart.

Nova found herself dwelling over his last words to her, uttered less than an hour before the explosion.

_I love you, Nova._

She had freaked out, unsure of her feelings and not wanting to say it back if she didn’t really mean it. But now, she recognized that what she felt was love.

At the first sign of dusk, she whispered, “I love you, too, Adrian,” to the open air, her words lost in a gust of wind.


	33. Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one isn’t that good

Nova slowly approached Danna, hood down and Nightmare’s mangled mask hanging from the belt on her waist. Streaks of blood covered on her face and bruises bloomed over her exposed skin. Under one arm, she was carrying Ace’s helmet.

Danna caught her eye, daring to offer her a small smile. Nova didn’t return it, instead stumbling over the uneven ground and sinking against the wall. The helmet dropped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a muffled  _ thump _ . Danna took a small step towards Nova, worry flooding through her.

They were hidden behind a crumbled wall, receiving the little bit of shelter that was available amid the battle. Gunshots and shouts sounded all around them, the air sharp with the scent of gunpowder and blood.

Danna gently cupped Nova’s face in her hands, using her thumb to wipe away some of the blood.

“Are you okay?” Danna asked, inspecting Nova’s face carefully. She looked worse for the wear, everything about her disheveled. “What happened?”

Nova nodded slowly, gaze falling. “I got Ace’s helmet back,” Nova muttered, expression clouding over. Silence filled the air between them, both not quite sure what to say.

 Danna dropped her hands, reaching for Nova’s and laced their fingers together.

Taking a deep breath, Nova finally said, voice shaking, “I love you.”

Danna froze. All words fell flat on her tongue.

“I love you, Danna,” Nova repeated. “I know this is sudden and I don’t care if you don’t feel the same, I just want you to know in case...in case I don’t make it.”

“Don’t say that,” Danna whispered, tears springing to her eyes. She squeezed Nova’s hands. “And I—I love you, too.”

Nova, eyes shining with tears, stood up on her tip-toes. She pressed a small kiss to Danna’s lips, resting her forehead against Danna’s. Their noses brushed together and Danna longed to lean down and kiss Nova again.

“We can’t stay here, I need to go. The Anarchists are planning something and I need to stop them. And you should be helping the Renegades.”

Danna sighed. She  _ knew _ it was selfish, but she wasn’t quite yet ready to return to the fight. She was so wrapped up in Nova, the sounds of battle were almost drowned out. 

“You can’t,” Danna said softly. “Not yet.”

Nova cupped Danna’s cheek in her hand, tears rolling down her cheeks and leaving trails in the grime that coated her face. “Remember, I love you so, so much, but I can’t stand by and let this happen.”

“I know. It’s just... I love you, too, and I...I don’t want this to be our last time together. I’m not ready to say goodbye.”

“Danna.” Nova drew out each letter, thumb brushing against Danna’s cheek. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” She moved Danna’s mouth down to hers, kissing her slowly. “Goodbye, Danna.”

Then she slipped away and turned her back to Danna, picking up the helmet. Nova put it on, starting to walk away. Slowly she turned around to face Danna, blue eyes shining through the shadows of the helmet. Something about her stance was different. Everything about her was fierce and Danna’s heart stammered at the sight of her.

Nova waved at her and whispered something Danna couldn’t quite hear, then she was gone.

“Goodbye, Nova,” Danna said, her voice lost amid the chaos of battle.


	34. nodrian having another movie night

Nova settled closer to Adrian, daring to rest her head against his shoulder. His body tensed for a split second before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She pretended like she didn’t notice. Like it didn’t bother her. But it _did_.

He’d been a bit jumpy around her since the reveal. No matter how many times she told herself it didn’t bother her, it did. No matter how many times she rationalized with herself, saying it was only temporary, they’d soon return to normal—whatever ‘normal’ was—there was still a little part of her that feared their relationship would never be the same. And so far, her fears had yet to be disproved.

“Adrian, we need to talk,” Nova said slowly, fingers brushing against the flame tattoo on his forearm.

“About?” he asked, glancing down at her.

She glared at him, though it was hard to maintain. “Why _did_ you invite me over?”

“I—I thought it’d be nice to spend some time together. To get away from, well, everything.” He hesitated. “But I 'm now realizing that this may be too soon.”

“I think you’re right,” she said slowly. “But it doesn’t have to be that way.” Nova took a deep breath, “Why are you so timid around me? It’s like...every time I draw near, you start to pull away. I trust you know I won’t put you to sleep?” She tried to keep her tone light, though the fear started to creep in. Nervously, she added, “I promise.”

“I...I’m not really sure. It’s not that I don’t trust you—because I do it’s just....”

She froze, his words stinging. Why _should_ he trust her?

“I understand.” She swallowed the lump that started to form in her throat. “It’s not like I’ve given you many reasons to trust me.”

“Nova, it’s—it’s not that. I’m just...still getting used to you being Nightmare. It’s a lot to wrap my head around and I’ve got a lot on my mind currently.”

“Oh, it’s fine, Adrian. Like I said, I completely understand. And to be honest, I’m still getting used to you being the Sentinel.”

Adrian offered her a wane smile. Nova started to relax, settling against him once more. They fell into a bout of silence, both seemingly watching the movie, but Nova’s mind was elsewhere.

She found her thoughts drifting back to their relationship pre-reveal, when everything had been less...stressful. While then they had been both worried about the possibility of being revealed, but now there was a different type of underlying pressure. Now, Nova almost felt like she was tip-toeing around Adrian as to avoid bringing back certain memories. And she felt he was doing the same.

“Nova?” he whispered. She tilted her head, meeting his gaze. “Can I kiss you?” His gaze started to drift towards her lips before snapping back up to her eyes.

“Yes,” she breathed. Adrian leaned down and placed a soft kiss against Nova's mouth.

He started to pull away but she wound her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth back to hers. Soon, she found herself wrapped up in his arms, all thoughts on him. Her skim thrummed where his lips touched as he trailed kisses down her neck.

 _This wasn’t real_ , a voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Tears pricked at Nova’s eyes and she shut them.

 _Bang_.

A single tear escaped, burning her skin as it slid down her cheek

 _Bang_.

Her eyes flew open and she gasped, heart racing in her chest. Tears now clouded her vision, and she was doing all she could to keep them from falling. The lips pressed to her jaw pulled away. Adrian’s brow furrowed as he cupped her face in his hand, using the pad of his thumb to brush away her tears.

“What’s wrong?” His gaze filled with worry.

“Nothing,” she said, voice shaking. Nova repeated it again, trying to keep her voice steady.

“It’s not nothing, Nova. Something’s made you upset and I’m here to listen—as long as you want to talk about it.” He smiled softly at her.

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Thank you, Adrian. I’m not quite ready to talk about it just yet.”

Adrian nodded. “Of course,” he muttered, leaning down. Nova’s breath hitched and then Adrian’s lips were back on hers. She gasped against his mouth, fingers digging into his wrist.

“Adrian,” she murmured against his lips. He rested his forehead against hers, breaking the kiss. She dropped her hand from his wrist, reaching for his free hand and gripping it in hers.

“Hmm?” His hand fell from her cheek and instead brushed against her hair. Gently, he smoothed a few loose strands back from her face.

“Will things ever return to normal between us?” she asked, pain seeping into her voice. “Or will we keep tiptoeing around each other?”

Adrian pulled away from her, gulping. “ _Nova_...” He carefully set his hand against the side of her face. “Our relationship will never be the same as before. But we can make a new normal.” Tears shone in his eyes, though he quickly blinked them away. “Together.”

Nova offered him a small smile, barely fighting back her own tears. “Adrian, I—”

“What do you say? Should we?” He gripped her hand tighter in his.

“Yes,” she whispered. Leaning up, she placed a soft kiss against his lips, smiling.  
Within seconds she was wrapped up in his arms again, kissing him over and over. The world disappeared and for a few minutes, it felt as if it were only she and Adrian.


	35. midnight confessions

“You’ve been crying,” Nova whispered into her communicator band. She rolled over on the air mattress, sighing. “I can hear it in your voice.”

Adrian remained silent, the only sound his hiccuping breath.

“Adrian, what’s wrong?” she asked gently.

Finally, he said, “It...it’s Max. Nova...I’m so worried about him,” He trailed off, choking up.

“Do,” Nova began, hesitating, “do you want me to come over?”

“It’s late, I’m not sure—”

“Adrian, I don’t need sleep. It’s not like I’ll be missing out on anything. Besides, I know you’d do the same for me.”

“Would you?”

“Of course. I'll be over in a few minutes.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Nova hastily got off her bed and ran a hand through her hair, before rushing downstairs. She threw a quick goodbye to the Anarchists and slipped out the front door.

The floorboards of the porch creaked under her feet, the only sound on the empty street. It was almost midnight, the moon high in the sky. Nova quickly made her way down the street, glancing around every few seconds, hand drifting to her belt. It wasn’t until she turned to Adrian’s street and drew near his house, that her shoulders relaxed.

She made her way up his drive, knocking on the door. A few minutes passed, and no one answered. She shivered as a cool breeze cut across his lawn and folded her arms over her chest.

Nova was just about to knock again when the door opened. Adrian stood on the other side, eyes bloodshot and clothes crumpled.

His shoulders sunk in relief and he ushered her inside. As they made their way through the living room, she kept glancing around, looking for some sign that his dads were home.

Adrian led her down to his room. He took off his glasses and set them down on the nightstand, before collapsing on his bed. Nova sat down beside him and set her hand on his back, drawing small circles with her thumb.

“What's wrong?” she said slowly.

“Everything,” he finally said. “Max isn't getting any better and...and...” He trailed off in a muffled sob.

“ _Oh_ , Adrian...” she said softly. Nova leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

They sat in silence for a few heartbeats, the only sound Adrian’s muffled cries.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what? I've done barely anything to help you,” she muttered.

“No, you've done more than you know.” He suddenly tensed under her touch. “Nova...there's something I need to tell you.”

“Hmm?” Nova's hand drifted up his back, settling between his shoulder blades.

“I...” Adrian buried his face further into the bedding. “I'm the Sentinel.”

Nova froze, unsure if she heard him right. Though his words soon sunk in.

She pulled her hand away from him, suddenly repulsed by his touch. The walls felt like they were closing in on her and her gaze nervously darted to his door—the only exit.

“You're...you're the Sentinel?” Nova stuttered out, each word scratching at her throat. Each second that passed in silence was agonizing, and she found herself calculating how fast she'd be able to escape should the need arise.

Adrian sat up, crossing his legs in front of him. He met her gaze, tears brimming in his eyes as he nodded slowly at her.

“Why?” Tears pricked her own eyes, though she quickly blinked them away. Her voice started to shift from pain to anger, and soon she was practically yelling at him. “Why, Adrian? Do you know how reckless you've been? How many people you've hurt?”

“Nova, I—” He reached up and started to touch her cheek with his hand, but she grabbed his wrist and held his arm aloft, inches from her face. She almost immediately regretted the action, every one of her nerves on edge. “Sorry...” he muttered, suddenly sheepish.

Nova ignored his apology and released his arm, hands shaking. She folded them in her lap and tried to steady her emotions. Her thoughts were everywhere, not a single one coherent.

“Why do you hate the Sentinel so much?” he asked abruptly, catching her off guard. “I know I've made a lot of mistakes but I've never done anything to purposely hurt you. And I never will.”

Nova bit her tongue, wanting desperately to scream that that wasn't true. But telling him about Ace would be giving away her identity, and that was the last thing she needed.

Enough betrayal had passed between them in tonight, and Nova wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.

“I wish it didn't have to be this way,” she murmured, reaching for Adrian's hand and letting her power roll through her. Tears welled in her eyes, and this time, she let them fall.

“Nova, wha—” Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes drooped shut and he slumped against her. Nova carefully moved him off of her, leaving his body sprawled out on the end of the bed.

Shaking, she quickly climbed off Adrian’s bed and rushed out of his room, darting up the stairs. As stealthily as she could, Nova slipped out the front door and sprinted down the street, pausing once she was a few blocks from his house. She breathed in the cool night air, letting it fill her lungs and wash over her skin.

_He's the enemy_ , whispered the stern voice in the back of her mind.

_Then why am I so drawn to him?_ whispered her softer self.


	36. nova annoying hugh

Nova looped her arm through Adrian’s as they entered the gala, glancing around nervously. They made their way over to the coat check and turned in their jackets, before going over to where Adrian’s dads were sitting.

Nova’s arm tightened around his, her nerves on edge.

Adrian leaned down and whispered in her ear, “It’ll be okay. I think Dad is starting to warm up to you.”

“I hope so,” she muttered, glancing at Adrian out of the corner of her eye. He smiled encouragingly and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

After she was revealed as Nightmare, her already precarious relationship with Captain Chromium completely fell apart. While she was being held for interrogation, Simon offered to talk to her. Rather than ask questions about what had happened the night of the gala with Max and Frostbite, he asked about her life before the Renegades. Nova eventually opened up to him, telling him about her life up until the Battle for Gatlon—when she lost Ace...for the first time.

Simon had gone silent for a moment, lost in thought. He muttered an apology and left, only to return a few minutes later. He explained that they had sent Lady Indomitable to help David Artino, and Georgia had been discovered dead the next day. Nova took a while to process this, and they both sat there in silence before Simon pulled her into a hug, apologizing again. That had been a big turning point in their relationship and they became really close because of it, Simon becoming a sort-of father figure to her.

Nova’s relationship with Hugh had improved little in the years since the reveal, despite Simon and Adrian’s multiple attempts at reconciliation. And that she and Adrian had been dating for almost five years. It wasn’t that Nova didn’t want to fix their relationship, Hugh was just stubborn and didn’t let go of grudges easily. 

As they got closer, Simon spotted them and rushed over. He enveloped Adrian into a hug before hugging Nova too. Simon pulled Nova off to the side, leaving Adrian to talk with Hugh. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he whispered to Nova, “Are you still planning on proposing soon?”

Nova nodded. “I don’t have a ring or anything, but I’m not sure that really matters. Adrian and I agreed that we'd like to keep it lowkey.”

Simon beamed, embracing her again. “Do you have any idea when you’ll ask him?”

Nova shook her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just do it whenever the moment feels right.”

“Ah, that sounds like a good idea.” His brow furrowed, gaze focusing on something behind her shoulder. “Maybe you should go check on Adrian, it looks like he and Hugh are arguing.”

She quickly turned around, spotting Hugh and Adrian standing together on the other side of the room. They appeared to be deep in conversation, though she couldn’t read their expressions for their backs were to her. But judging from Adrian's body language, he seemed uncomfortable.

“I think you might be right,” Nova muttered. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Simon and rushed off.

Carefully, Nova came up behind Adrian, walking slowly as to keep from making any noise.

“Dad, stop. Nova’s not like that anymore—” she heard Adrian say.

“I don’t care. A cheetah doesn’t change its spots,” Hugh responded.

“ _Dad_. It’s been almost five years since then. Nova’s apologized plenty of times and even admitted herself that she’s changed.”

“Are you forgetting that she _tried to kill me_? Because that’s something I think about every time I see her.”

“Do you know how many times she’s apologized for that? How many times she’s admitted it was a mistake and a direct result of her upbringing? Might I remind you that if it weren’t for _her_ , then Max may not be here today.” Adrian’s voice quivered but he continued. “If it wasn’t for her quick thinking...”

“One good deed doesn’t excuse a life of wrong-doings, Adrian.”

Nova’s blood boiled. She knew no matter how Adrian reasoned, Hugh would always find some reason to dislike her.

“No, it doesn’t. But she’s made an effort to change her old ways and I wish you’d at least _recognize_ that. Dad, Nova’s a genuinely good person. And even though you don’t like her, you should at least respect her and our relationship. I _love_ her, and nothing is going to change that.”

Huffing, Adrian turned on his heel. He startled when he saw Nova standing only a few feet from him, well within hearing distance. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, she allowed him to lead her away from Hugh. Once they were far enough away from him, she pressed her back to the wall and looked up at Adrian, telling herself to calm down.

“What was that about?” Nova said through gritted teeth.

Adrian’s expression softened as he glanced down at her, moving to stand closer. “In all honesty, I’m not really sure what started it. Just Dad being Dad, I guess.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her scrunched up nose. “I just wish he would realize that you’re not the villain he made you out to be all those years ago.”

“But Adrian, I _was_ that villain. I mean, obviously I’m not anymore. But that’s still a part of my past, and I think I can understand where he’s coming from.”

Adrian furrowed his brow. “Are you really siding with my dad on this?”

Nova let out an abrupt laugh, startling him again. “Of course not. It’s just...I can see where he’s coming from on certain points. But that still doesn’t excuse his behavior.” Her gaze wandered over to where Hugh was, noting that Simon was now talking to him now. 

Nova wrapped her arm around Adrian’s. “Come on,” she said, dragging him over to Hugh and Simon.

“What are we doing?” Adrian whispered, leaning down.

“Annoying your dad.”

“Do I even want to know how?”

“You’ll see.”

He sighed and followed her over to where Simon and Hugh were.

Simon smiled as they approached, though Hugh ignored them. Nova pressed closer to Adrian, arm tightening around his.

She would _not_ let Hugh Everhart push her aside for any longer.

Standing on tip-toes, she pressed a kiss to Adrian's cheek. As they talked to Hugh and Simon, Nova took every opportunity she could to call Adrian ‘babe’ or some other pet name. Adrian soon caught on and started doing the same. She knew they succeeded when Hugh started rolling his eyes.

Changing the conversation, Adrian asked, “Where’s Max? I haven’t seen him at all.”

“He should be around here somewhere,” Simon said.

“I’ll go find him,” Hugh offered quickly, stepping away before anyone could object. Simon glanced at Nova and Adrian, then to Hugh. He sighed then went after Hugh.

Nova grinned and turned to face Adrian. “Did you see the look on his face?” she fake-whispered.

Adrian nodded, mirroring her grin. He leaned down and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Nova laughed and slid her arms around his neck. He pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, hand brushing against her hair.

She broke the kiss, murmuring and “I love you,” against his lips, before kissing him again.

“I love you, too,” he whispered. His hand rested against her cheek. “We should try to annoy my dad more often.”

“Mhmm.” Then she was kissing him again, already forgetting about Hugh.


	37. nova pining after adrian for 1,000 words

Adrian's tattooing kit lay spread out beside Nova on his couch. Adrian was crouched in front of her, holding her wrist in his hand. They were at his apartment, a fact which made Nova nervous.

After he was revealed as the Sentinel, tension between him and his fathers became higher than it ever had before. It got to the point where none of them could stand it and Adrian decided it’d ultimately be better for him to move out. So he found a small apartment in Gatlon to rent. Though his relationship with his dads was back to normal now, he still lived in the apartment.

About a year had passed since the reveal and Nova and Adrian’s relationship had only just begun to return to a sort of normalcy. Still, nothing was the same as it was before. Though they were no longer dating, they remained close friends.

Well, at least they tried to. Nova constantly found herself getting flustered around Adrian, blushing whenever his hand would brush against hers. It didn't take long for her to conclude that she still had romantic feelings towards him. Which was a bit of a problem considering she was 87% sure that he didn't like her back—at least not in that way. So Nova kept her emotions to herself, harboring some small hope that he would confess he felt the same.

Adrian dipped a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and gently cleaned the skin on the inside of her wrist. Once that dried, he took a pen and drew a crescent moon and three stars on it. She chose the stars to represent her parents and Evie, and the moon for it was her ever-present companion. For now, he was just tattooing the outlines for her, though he offered to fill it in for her at a later date.

“Are you sure about this?” Adrian asked, lifting his gaze up to her.

“Yes,” she said, hating the way her heart fluttered at his touch.

“Let me know if you want me to stop, okay?” He brushed the cotton ball against her wrist again, fading the ink from the pen slightly.

Nova nodded, watching as he took the needle and dipped into the ink. She almost flinched when the needle touched her skin. Gritting her teeth, Nova bore the pain and distracted herself by watching Adrian’s careful movements. Occasionally, he would stop and use a piece of cloth to wipe her skin of excess ink.

A faint blush tinted her cheeks at their closeness. No matter how many times Nova told herself she and Adrian were just friends, her heart stammered the same way it always had. Nova knew her attraction to Adrian was wrong but it felt so _right_.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed by the time Adrian moved onto the final star, having finished the outlines of the moon and two of the stars. A smile flitted across Nova’s lips as she observed his handiwork.

Though it was still painful, Nova had almost grown used to the feeling. Her thoughts soon drifted to what she and Adrian had been before they were unmasked. She knew she should be grateful that he even wanted to be in her life now considering all that Nightmare put him through. Still, something inside of her longed for more.

Somewhere along the line, Nova had fallen in love with Adrian Everhart. And she had fallen hard.

A confession sprung to the tip of her tongue, and it took all of her self control not to just blurt it out. Instead, she took a measured breath and slowly began to speak, watching as Adrian traced the final lines of the star.

“Adrian.” Nova drew out his name, testing her voice. “I like you.”

Adrian didn’t so much as glance up at her, focus still on the tattoo.

She swallowed. “More than just a friend.”

He finished the last line of the stars and looked up at her. “How long?” he asked, voice so low she barely heard it.

“I never stopped.” Her next words came out in a rush, “Adrian, I understand if you don’t feel the same. I just needed to tell you or—”

“Nova, I like you, too.” He dashed a grin at her. “More than just a friend.”

Her cheeks flamed.

“Though I’ve been in denial about it for the longest time.” He continued speaking as he went back to finishing the tattoo. “After the reveal, I wasn’t sure I could ever speak to you again, let alone fall in _love_ with you. Then we slowly started to become friends and I realized that maybe...maybe something between us could work. But things were rocky enough and I didn’t want to cause any more harm, so I figured it’d be best to keep my feelings to myself.” Adrian glanced up at her. “Though now I’m realizing that maybe one of us should’ve spoken up sooner.” He finished the final line and set down the needle, standing up.

“Thank you,” Nova murmured, staring at the tattoo on her wrist.

“Of course.” His expression softened, the focused gaze from before gone. “Here, go wash your wrist in the sink over there”—he pointed at the kitchenette—“and then I’ll bandage it for you.”Nova nodded and stood up, walking over to the sink. She turned on the water, letting it run over her wrist. After a few seconds, she turned it off and went back over to Adrian, sitting back down on the couch.

He had cleaned up the supplies and stashed them on a stand by the sofa, sitting where they had been. The bandages sat in his lap.

She held out her newly-tattooed wrist. Carefully, he bandaged the area, giving her instructions on what to do to make sure it healed properly.

“I guess I should be going,” Nova muttered, making no move to get up. Her gaze drifted to Adrian’s.

“Yeah, it’s getting late,” he murmured, leaning closer to her.

Her eyes slowly shut as Adrian’s lips pressed against hers. Though the kiss was small, it was just enough to send an electric current through every nerve.

Nova ended up staying over at Adrian’s for the night. They stayed up into the late hours of the night, talking about anything and everything, stealing kisses in the dark. Adrian ended up falling asleep sometime past midnight, Nova snuggled in his arms. Not long after that, she fell asleep too, finding safety and comfort in his arms.


End file.
